df92c124-c627-4da9-ab47-cccb91ff2908
Boredom is the silent killer, but before you diagnose yourself with this common disease search for a bowling center in your area! With more than 3,000 centers to choose from you’ll save yourself, friends and family from another dull night. Bowling is the ultimate democratic sport, perfect for all ages and occasions, so you can shine as party planner extraordinaire for the day with the support of a local center. Start your weekend off right and do some research by searching Find a Center.
]]>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:49:24 GMTf6b3c0fd-c7b3-43e3-8aea-58817f2887fbGet Tips Here]]>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:57:38 GMTef0692ff-bdee-4c5d-98e7-86eda3b91ae4

Ever wanted to walk the red carpet, solve world hunger or win a Noble Peace Prize? Or did you just want to win something? How about the Ultimate Party? Now you have the chance to be part of an incredible night just for you and 23 of your closest friends! Dive head first into the complimentary spread of food and bowling for your exclusive event.

It’s easy and painless to enter for your shot at the Ultimate Party. Register here for your chance and let’s go bowling!

Register Here]]>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:55:58 GMT67cd936b-fe87-44e2-949a-0c0cefb0b930
We’re excited to bring you all the fun tips, events and opportunities to bowl all over the nation! If you’ve never gone bowling let us help introduce you to this great sport. Bring your friends, your family or your coworkers for a unique, social and entertainment-filled time! On this site, you’ll find bowling tips to help you get the edge on your game, the latest special offers in your area and great party planning ideas. Take a look around and let’s go bowling!]]>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:56:43 GMT28eef797-4141-4e0b-ac34-19bc9efe2c25

Team building is one of the most neglected areas of management development in corporate America. Why? The challenges of finding the right venue. It is easy enough to rent a room in a hotel and have an ideation session. It is also simple to book a retreat center for a weekend of planning meetings. What’s hard is designing a team-building getaway that every member of your team can participate in. Not everyone plays golf. Not everyone has a strong tennis game. That, of course, is the beauty of bowling. Everybody from the junior executive to the C-suite has probably spent some time in a bowling center. Best of all, you don’t have to be good to have a great time. Even a gutter ball or two doesn’t get in the way of a good time. Here are 4 tips to remember when planning a bowling team-building outing:

Bowling is a team sport. Bowling is a game that can be played as an individual or as a team. Emphasizing the power of team dynamics can be easily illustrated. People work together, they start giving tips and encouragement to the weaker players. This is corporate America in a microcosm.

Build the teams purposefully. For the best results, choose your teams carefully. Don’t simply divide the alphabet or make it a battle of the sexes. Assign people with the goal of getting people and departments working together. Make sure that you don’t put all the stronger bowlers on the same team.

Choose your bowling center carefully. Make sure the bowling center is conveniently located to your office or hotel. Be sure that it has the facilities you need such as food service, break out room, etc. Many centers offer staff people who specialize in event coordination. These event planners will be sure you have everything you need.

Reinforce team building with an awards presentation. Decide what awards to hand out at the conclusion of the event. Identical prizes should be given to all team members of the team with the highest score and of the second and third place teams. You may want to award a few individual prizes for highest score in each game. Humorous awards “worst bowler on the planet” can always be good for the non-bowlers on the teams.

Team building is essential in creating highly functioning business units. And there is no easier way to organize a team-building event than introducing bowling. ]]>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:35:40 GMT121bd18f-3d7d-42b1-8f1e-dd48b0e1775f

Like the man said, if you can walk, you can bowl. Nothing proves that more than watching tiny kids from toddlers and older trying their hands at bowling. Bowling may be a young mother’s best friend.

“Is there anything more exhausting than trying to entertain toddlers for a day? Anything?” asks a single-mom blogger. “I have hiked the Inca trail, run foot races, worked overnight shifts, and I was once a college student, with all that entails. And I cannot think of anything that compares to the exhaustion I feel after trying to entertain my toddler for an entire day.”

This mom, like hundreds of others, has discovered the miracle of taking their little guys bowling.

“The looks on the faces of the girls, their happy little faces when they knocked down a pin-that reminded me why I’m trying to work outside the box a bit more,” confesses another mother. “Cause we’re all a lot happier with something new in our lives.”

Moms agree. Bowling is a great way to pass an afternoon. “When my little one knocks over a single pen, she squeals with delight,” shares a mom from Dallas.

Not every bowling center offers bowling for tots. It requires special equipment like ball launchers and gutter bumpers. But a few calls around your city will find you a center that does.

Bowling is truly a sport for a lifetime. And there is no better time to start playing than a child’s second birthday. In fact, you could even make a party of it. Just another reason to go bowling.]]>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:36:50 GMT543078e0-ad21-49a1-9191-cdc2da681cc1

Don’t let your babies grow up to be couch potatoes. It’s a fact, kids who spend the majority of their summer lounging on the sofa playing Xbox games grow fat and lazy. The statistics paint an alarming story. Today’s children are becoming more and more inactive, exercising only their thumb muscles playing video games and texting friends. In 2008, more than one third of children were overweight. Childhood obesity has more than tripled over the past three decades. Parents who rationalize chubby cheeks and rolls of belly blubber as simply “baby fat,” often find that they have helped raise obese individuals with elevated heart rates, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other life-limiting issues.

So, mom and dad, take those video game controllers out of their pudgy little hands and get those kids exercising. Exercise doesn’t have to be hard work. Take them swimming, go to the playground, or take them somewhere they’ll have an absolute blast: bowling. Bowling centers are great places for gamers to tap into their desire to rack up points and to win. But the beauty of bowling is that it actually requires kids to get off their behinds and move more than their digits.

So what are you waiting for? Pack the kids into the car and go bowling. It’s exercise disguised as fun.]]>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:12:47 GMT6aa2bcc4-4ac2-402a-b19d-8b2e4108ca5e

Recently, Washington Post sports writer Norman Chad had an epiphany. Regular bowling could solve most of America’s problems. “If every American bowled at least once a month, 35 percent of our problems would disappear,” Chad states, “Bowling more would reduce the federal deficit and global warming. And I firmly believe that, in addition to having a valid birth certificate, every U.S. president be required to have a 145 average.” Of course, Chad is saying this with his tongue mostly in cheek, but he does have a point. People rarely leave a bowling center angry. Even the nights their team loses. Bowling builds community, comradery and produces its fair share of endorphins. Chad believes this phenomenon is, at least in part, due to the fact that bowling centers sell a lot of beer. He shares with his readers his experience at a 24-hour bowling center in Las Vegas: “After midnight, games are just a buck!” he gushes, ”When you’re rolling spares at 4 a.m. with a Pabst Blue Ribbon within reach, you feel as if you live in the greatest nation on Earth.” And the man is right, you won’t find a better place on the planet. America––It’s more than baseball and apple pie. It’s also a late night bowling in Vegas and a frosty brew. Gotta love this country!
]]>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:59:04 GMTef78db68-324e-4824-acfb-db64194a35b6

Baby boomers are coming to that point in their lives, where exercise gets harder and harder. “I can’t jog anymore,” complains a 58 year-old advertising executive. “My knees won’t take it.”

“I used to cycle around the lake every morning but now my eyes aren’t what they used to be,” complains a 72 year-old retiree. “I am starting to get fat.”

Little wonder, more and more seniors are rediscovering bowling. Bowling helps strengthen muscles and burn off calories. Depending on how much you weigh and how much effort you use, you can burn anywhere from 170 to 300 calories per game. Not bad.

“When I retired last year, I joined a senior bowling league,“ says Gail Sobotkin, a retired healthcare worker, “What I found was serious bowlers with 40, 50, 60 and 70 years of experience.” Sobotkin says that their health conditions vary but nobody let’s their limitations keep them from their bowling night.
“Chuck has emphysema, lost most of the fingers in his dominant hand in an accident and has retrained himself to bowl with his left hand. Mary has Parkinson’s but refuses to give up bowling because it's the highlight of her week.”

Even Ninetendo Wii’s virtual bowling can be beneficial to a senior’s health. It provides exercise, improves coordination and helps increase range of motion for your shoulders and wrists. Retirement centers are discovering that Wii bowling is better attended than the usual exercise classes.
“Our seniors are really competitive,” says a Florida social worker at a large seniors village, “And you should hear the laughter…you never heard that in our aerobics classes.”

When most people think of fundraising events, they imagine being seated at a table with a bunch of strangers slicing into rubber chicken and passing a basket of cold dinner rolls. But fundraisers don’t have to look that way. For the third year in a row, Danielle DiMatteo of Redondo Beach, California will be attending a fundraiser at, of all places, a bowling center. It’s the fifth annual Bowl-A-Prom, benefiting Walk with Sally, an organization that mentors children of people with cancer. DiMatteo, 38, lost her mom to cancer 12 years ago.

This long-running bowling event will take over all 18 lanes of the Lucky Strikes Lanes in Torrance and is expected to have around 150 attendees. Although, dubbed Bowl-A-Prom, the event is anything but formal. No one has to rent a tux or reserve a limo. It’s just a bunch of people having a blast while they knock down pins and roll the occasional gutter ball for a wonderful cause.

So if you’re planning a fundraiser for your organization, why not do something a little less stuffy? Have some fun. Go bowling.]]>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:05:47 GMTe3705f0e-da4a-4061-8d1c-eeab9c6ca84d

Summer is here! Which means your teenagers are just moments away from their perpetual lament: ”I’m bored.” Well, your nearby bowling center could very well have the cure for the summertime blues. Scores of bowling centers around the country are offering summer-long passes and other deals that allow your kids to bowl at awesome discounts. Depending on the center, some games are even free. Sounds too good to be true? Well, check it out for yourself. Ask your local bowling center if they have any summer time passes or other money-saving deals. Bowling––the cure to summertime boredom.]]>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:07:39 GMT9bd960e7-1e93-41b4-b127-7f291bd678ad

“Dinner and a movie” have long been the stereotypical American date night. In fact, you can even catch celebrities performing the ritual. The only difference, for them, it’s Spago and a movie premiere. But even that seems to be changing. Recently, pop star Justin Bieber was discovered taking out his main squeeze, Selena Gomez, for an evening of bowling. The two were spotted knocking down pins at LA’s Brunswick Matador Bowl. And the word on the street is the athletic Gomez was thrashing Bieber at his own game. Bowling, after all is the great American pastime. Dating experts say it makes the perfect first date. It helps break the ice and gets a couple past the awkward small talk. Plus, you aren’t immediately forced to sit close together like you would be in a movie theater. Bowling is also an excellent venue for double dating–– a lot of fun and plenty of laughs.

Once you and your date bowl your frames, the evening is not over. A bowling center gives tons of options: bowl another game, head to the arcade for a little video game action or grab a quick bite to eat. And of course, if you want to take things to the next level, there is always neon bowling. But you might what to pace yourself.

Bowling may be our country’s most equal opportunity sport. People 8 to 80 seem to love it. Not many other sports can boast both seniors and toddlers lining its lanes. Ethnically, the game knows no boundaries. There are African-American pro bowlers like George Branham and Mexican-American gold medal champs like Bakersfield’s Julian Martinez. But the most fascinating facet of this equalitarian sport focuses on the battle of the sexes. Women’s bowling has been growing over the past 50 years but since the first NCAA Women’s Championship in 2004, varsity status for women’s bowling has really taken off. And it’s not slowing down.

Recently, a New York woman bedazzled bowling spectators as her considerable prowess bested a majority male team. Chelsea Welk was asked by her boyfriend to be a last minute sub at the USBC Queen’s tournament. She stepped in and bowled 23 out of 24 consecutive strikes. A clinical microbiologist by trade, the 23-year-old Welk has been bowling since she was a tike. She agrees that women’s bowling has come a long way. But she feels that the majority-male tournaments are far more open minded to a woman subbing for a guy than the women’s tournaments would be if the bowling shoe were on the other foot. “I had a lot of support from a lot of men,” she confessed, “But you'll never see men being able to bowl in a women's tournament.” Who knows? Even that may change.]]>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:12:03 GMT7b7550a9-1b46-467a-9b85-9b8ce9a2751e

John D. Rockefeller was a workaholic. Andrew Carnegie had no visible hobbies (other than drinking to excess). But the great American industrialist Henry Clay Frick is another story. This lesser-known titan of industry definitely knew how to party. When he wasn’t busy putting U.S. Steel on the map, he enjoyed a few frames of bowling with friends. When Frick built his magnificent East 70th Street home in Manhattan, he made sure it came equipped with its very own bowling lane. The Frick mansion is not the only American home that features a bowling alley. President Richard Nixon installed one in the White House in 1969. Not to be outdone, time-share mogul David Siegel has incorporated two enormous hardwood lanes in his newly built 10-acre mega-mansion, arguably the biggest house on U.S. soil. But the great thing about bowling is you don’t have to be a steel baron or a real estate tycoon to enjoy the game. Just hop in your car and you are minutes away from bowling centers that offer hours of fun, fitness and community.

So what are you sitting there staring at your computer for? Go bowling!

Every four years, athletes from the Americas compete in the second largest multi-sport event- the Pan American Games. Competitions range from the traditional sports of baseball, boxing, and basketball to handball, volleyball, water polo, and, you guessed it - bowling. Since the 1991 Havana, Cuba games, the beloved sport of bowling has participated in this world-wide competition. With the coming of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the ongoing debate resurfaces- should ten-pin bowling be included in the Olympics? What do you think? ]]>Thu, 24 May 2012 15:56:19 GMT1407fe6a-f531-4ff3-8423-16a58aaed7d1

Who doesn’t love a Top 10 list? Combine that with bowling and you’re set up for greatness. With school ending, we think that sharing some of our immense bowling knowledge with you would give you fun facts to learn as a break from the books. Do you know any fun bowling facts? Feel free to share them in a comment on this blog. The more the merrier!

Fact 1: The first indoor bowling lanes were built in New York City in 1840.

Fact 2: 70 million people bowled at least once in 2011.

Fact 3: There is no minimum weight for a bowling ball.

Fact 4: Bowling balls were made out of wood until the early 1900s.

Fact 5: The largest bowling center is located in Japan. It has 141 lanes!

Fact 6: Bowling raises over $225 million a year for charity.

Fact 7: The maximum number of holes allowed in a bowling ball is 12.

Fact 8: Bowling is the number one participation sport in America.

Fact 9: The youngest person to bowl a 300 game was Chaz Dennis at the age of 10 years, 2 months in Columbus, OH.

Fact 10: The origins of bowling can be traced about 5,000 years back to Rome and Greece.]]>Thu, 24 May 2012 16:06:12 GMT2171c9d8-4803-48ea-bfb7-bd1bc458210d]]>Thu, 24 May 2012 16:21:35 GMT51ba2af0-c91d-4cc4-aba4-ea36836e859a

Its summertime and you know what that means for most of us - vacation!!! Maybe you’re trying to think of a trip that would be fun for your whole family and not coming up with a lot of options. Did you know there are vacation venues that have on-site bowling alleys? Eaglewood Resort and Spa located outside of Chicago not only has the traditional hotel amenities such as a golf course, spa, and restaurants, they also tout a retro six lane bowling alley! If you plan on visiting the southern Indiana area, look in to the French Lick Resort. This bowling friendly resort houses a six lane alley as well as an arcade, video games and pool tables. What more could you ask for? Enjoy some family time at the bowling lanes after you finish the first nine or visit the spa. Fun for the whole family! When planning your next vacation, check out the Find A Center page on our site to locate a bowling center near you, if you’re not lucky enough to have one in your hotel.
]]>Thu, 24 May 2012 16:25:17 GMTadcec5ca-90db-4d52-8fbc-3f5b2cb5ca40

When you think of summer, what are typical thoughts that come to mind? Sun, going to the pool, vacation, or the 4th of July may be at the top of your list. Here’s a great addition to your summer list- the all-American past time, bowling! Next month, at your local participating bowling center, we’ll be celebrating National Bowling Day on August 11th. Gather your family and friends, get out of the heat, and come enjoy a day of bowling! Participating centers will be giving away a free game of bowling on August 11th. Free bowling, air conditioning, food, family, and friends- what more could you ask for on a summer day? Contact your local bowling center about National Bowling Day and go bowling! Click here to get your FREE bowling coupon valid on August 11th.]]>Thu, 24 May 2012 16:27:28 GMT24d8e6ca-6329-4157-b6b7-571b06cfcdaa

Did you know that August 11th is National Bowling Day? That’s right! Which means it’s the patriotic duty of every red-blooded American to don a pair of bowling shoes on the 11th and show us what they’re made of. In fact, participating bowling centers will be giving away a free game of bowling. This is better than the Easter bunny! But National Bowling Day is just the beginning. August is simply brimming with national holidays that are natural reasons to take the family bowling. August 5th is Friendship Day. And what better way to be a friend than to take a pal bowling? After all, what are friends for? But that’s not all. August 19th is National Aviation Day­­––the perfect day to give that aviator in your life a month-long bowling pass to the local bowling center of your choosing. A gift like that and they will be flying high! But, yes, there is one more August holiday that we can’t forget: August 26th––Women’s Equality Day. And what sport has always treated women as equals? What game has never patronized women by lowering the bar? Bowling, of course! Golf gives women their own tee box. Basketball moves the 3-point line in a little closer for the female of the species. But not bowling. Uh-Uh. We hand men and women the same big, heavy ball and say, “Get rolling.” That’s equality in a nutshell. So be a true-blue American woman and celebrate your day with the game that never sold you short. In fact, considering how much fun bowling is, any day is a great day to go bowling. Find a center near you and celebrate life.]]>Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:48:46 GMT8fa9ea89-da42-4763-a522-eaf10d619acf

Ready to crank up the school year? We recommend a back-to-school bowling party. Bowling is a sport that works for kids 8 to 18. It’s the perfect venue for the tweens (interested in the opposite sex but not ready for slow-dance mingling). Here are a few tips for how to get your bowling party rolling:

Lock in Early

Look for a center in your school’s vicinity that has the bandwidth for a party of 10 to 20 kids. Don’t just show up with you gaggle of youngsters. Find a center near you.

Round up the Grownups

Kids of all ages require adult supervision. Plan on one adult for every five kiddoes.

Send out the Invitations

Back-to-school time is full of football practices, clothes shopping and school supply search parties. So get your invitations in the mail or Evite on the Web at least one week in advance.

Pick a Theme

Most bowling centers will cater your entire affair if you keep the menu simple. Soft drinks, pizza, hot dogs, etc. No problem. Many centers will even supply balloons, streamers and a sheet cake. Consider theming the party with the school colors or mascot.

Pre-plan the Prize Categories

First place, second place, third place are givens. But the losers need love too. Best Gutter Bowl has a ring to it. Sorest Loser. How about Most Enthusiastic?

Cool Prizes

How about awarding a cool bowling ball for First Place? Or a stylish bowling shirt? Or if you’re on the budget, the bowling center with supply Buy One Get Ones and gift cards for next to nothing.]]>Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:56:58 GMT52c324ed-e0a1-41ad-a991-e38868a16081

What’s the perfect activity for a double date? Bowling, of course. Everybody has fun and there are no awkward pauses, chemistry misfires or opportunities for your buddy to use the wrong fork. In fact, even if your friends are not first-rate bowlers, very little can go wrong if bowling is the venue. Here are a few things to consider:

Make sure everyone is down with bowling. Nobody has fun when the activity is just sprung on them or when somebody has their heart set on sushi.

Birds of a Feather

Tension between counterparts can take the double date down the tubes. Be sure that the guys click and the girls don’t clash.

Competition Stays in the Lane

You can compete in the bowling lane, but that’s it. Don’t try to out-snuggle, out-laugh or out-adorable the other couple.

Don’t Get Too Friendly

Make sure your date doesn’t become jealous of the other woman/guy. Too many double dates have gone up in flames because a guy paid too much attention to the wrong girl. And remember, a jealous woman armed with a bowling ball is a dangerous thing.

Keep it Light

The great thing about bowling is it doesn’t require that you are a born athlete. If one of the couples is bowling poorly keep things light. Kid with caution. A little good-natured sparring can quickly get out of hand.

If Things Are Going Good, Double Down

If everyone is up for it, play another game and buy another round.
]]>Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:00:28 GMT2289a698-d7c1-4306-a93d-562a1bfb1d23

There are a lot of ways to raise money for your school or your cause. You can rent a hotel ballroom, book a speaker and trot out the cold rolls and rubbery Chicken Kiev. Or you can put together a fundraising event where adults and kids can all have a blast. That’s exactly what the LA Dodgers are doing this month for the eighth year in a row. Last year, more than 16 Dodgers players and coaches joined celebrities to generate funds and fun with their Dream Foundation Bowling Extravaganza. But you don’t have to be a major league ball club to throw together a fundraising bowling tournament. Donna Konkolics, head of Amenia, New York’s Maplebrook School, declared last February 8th a school holiday.She allowed her students to sleep in that day and at 11 AM loaded up buses to take the whole school bowling. The bowling event raised the school more than $13,000. An effective bowling fundraiser needs to keep a few things in mind:

Make It Convenient

Pick a date and time that will fit peoples’ schedules. People are very busy these days. Make participating easy.

Get greater participation by serving pizza and drinks. Try to get food items donated so it doesn’t cut into your proceeds.

Let People Pledge

Even people who can't come to the tournament can still participate by making pledges. For example, let people pledge to kick in five bucks for every strike scored. This could add up to a nice sum for the fundraiser.

Bring Trophies

Award ribbons, small trophies or other prizes for the participants. You may be able to get these donated. Even if you have to pay for them, giving out prizes adds to the fun of the event.]]>Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:06:00 GMTfc8ed1a7-1863-414c-9b89-96f922009c6f

Nothing says “man of the people” like a frosty beer, a slice of pizza and a few frames of bowling. That’s why bowling has become such a political staple during presidential elections. If the electorate thinks the candidate is an effete, endive-eating snob with ice water in his veins, take him to a bowling lane. Suddenly, he is one of us. If the candidate is a stiff, robotic country-clubbing aristocrat with all the down-home warmth of Daddy Warbucks, get that man into a bowling shirt. Instant transformation!

Of course, there is always a certain amount of political blowback. As it turns out, Barack Obama is not nearly as awesome with a bowling ball as he is with a basketball. But even though candidate Obama rolled his share of gutter balls, he got points with the voters for trying. (And there is always that bowling lane in the White House to practice on.) Sure, Mitt Romney looks as stiff and uncomfortable in a bowling shirt as he does in a blue jeans and a button down shirt. But that’s not the point. When political candidates go bowling it’s about more than the photo op. It’s about connecting with real people. Pressing the flesh. Hearing what’s on their minds. Listening to their problems. Descending from the beltways and the bubbles that separate the ruling class from regular walking-around people. And there is no better place to do that than in a bowling center. It’s a game that unites the well off with the down and out. It’s a game shared by the red state conservative and the blue state progressive. Everybody bowls. Even Libertarians.

But the best part for the politician? It’s one stop on the trail where they can actually have fun. They can replace that plastered-on vote-for-me grin with some genuine laughter. Bowling is fun. And in a slow economy, we all can use a little more of that.
]]>Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:01:36 GMT9caf11b7-0991-4273-ade3-e6bd54691fb6

You wouldn’t think to look at it, but Holler House is one of Milwaukee’s oldest bowling centers. In fact, the two bowling lanes in the basement of this neighborhood tavern represent America’s first bowling lanes­––a fact substantiated by the United States Bowling Congress. Opened in 1908, Holler House gets its name from the high level of shouting, whooping and hollering that this place exudes on your average week night.

But Holler House may can to concede the quirkiest title to the Bowladrome in Grinnell, Iowa. There, amidst the cornfield and corn-fed cattle, this vintage bowling center greets visitors with funky brown shag carpeted walls, a cozy bar and 12 lanes of pure joy. This retro bowling complex dates back to 1947, and in those days, a Grindell college student could name their sport, for––oddly enough––the Bowladrome also featured archery.

There are a lot of great bowling venues across the country. Do you have a favorite bowling lane? Let us know all about it in the comment center below. After all, this is an election year. So vote!
]]>Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:02:06 GMT3dd5fa7f-530c-4d78-bb66-21d81b047be6

Grace Jensen is a champion. This summer, she and nine other seniors were crowned winners at the 2012 United Bowling Congress Senior Championships. Grace isn’t telling us her age, but she received her title in the 75 and older classification of the Women's Division by moving from sixth place into the lead in her final three games of competition at Reno’s National Bowling Stadium.

Bowling is a game that produces champions of all ages––from toddlers to great grandmothers. So who is your champion? Cast your vote this month in the comment section of this blog. Let us know what bowler inspires your admiration.

Who wouldn’t what this job? It comes with a free house, a chef, a personal jet and your very own bowling lanes.

Of course, it’s the one job where you can’t shift the blame upwards. As Harry Truman so famously put it: “The buck stops here.” In fact, it was President Truman who brought the indoor bowling center to the White House. The two-lane center was installed as a birthday present. Eight years later President Eisenhower had them moved to the Old Executive Building to make room for the White House mimeograph complex.

In 1969, President Nixon, an avid bowler, made an executive decision: the bowling lane was coming back. The new one-lane bowling center was installed in the North Portico where Nixon donned his classic bowling shirts and spent his evening knocking down pins and relaxing.

Although the current resident has threatened to replace the bowling lane with a basketball half court, so far, the bowling lane stays. Besides, Sasha and Malia seem to love it.

Since we can’t all have a bowling center in our rec rooms, it’s nice know there is never one far away. Search for a bowling center near you. ]]>Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:06:59 GMT9c94ff5e-a279-4b54-ba25-8afaacc75f72

October is full of great opportunities to get your friends together. Oktoberfest, Halloween, you name it. And there’s no party like a bowling party. So why not plan a bowling get-together this Halloween. You send out the invites and let your neighborhood bowling center do the rest. Reserve a couple of lanes, specify what sort of food and beverages you want served. Then sit back and enjoy the fun. To make your party crazy off-the-hook insanity, require your guests to come in costume. Your local bowling center can even dial up the scary with night bowling ambience. So what are you waiting for? Find a bowling centernear you. Let the party begin.]]>Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:17:55 GMT4838ded7-79a6-4acd-8ff9-133762ac34eb

Having a hard time getting the whole family together? You’re not alone. According to Nielsen data, the average parent spends 38.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children. That’s right, only 38.5 minutes a week! A recent Harvard study reveals something equally interesting. Families that have schedule a regular time together, such as meal times or family outings, have lower incidences of high-risk behavior, such as drinking, smoking, drug abuse, eating disorders or suicidal thoughts.

So get the calendar out, the family together, and lock in a weekly family night. Whatever night works best. School nights, not excluded. Plan an evening of board games, card games, even video games (and parents be gracious losers). Plan regular outings to museums or your local bowling center. Whatever the activity, make it one where you can sing your kids praises. Help them perfect their form on the bowling lane, while talking to them about character traits such as patience, practice and kindness. But most of all, communicate your love for them. Kids that feel a parent’s acceptance perform better school, better in relationships and better in their careers.

Maybe’s it’s been a while since you bowled. Maybe you stopped bowling back in the day because you felt outmatched. Maybe it’s time to make your comeback. Well, here are 10 tips to get you back in the game:

When your ready to practice your game, look for a bowling centerclose to home or work.]]>Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:26:26 GMT2e85a76e-bfab-43cf-b700-a334256fa3b8

Ten-pin bowling may not be an Olympic event––at least not yet. But it’s a favorite competition event in the Special Olympics.Every year thousands of special athletes compete across the country displaying incredible drive and grace in this fun, fun sport. Although some modifications have been made for athletes with physical disabilities, most athletes compete using the same rules as athletes on a professional bowling tour. Bowling has proven to be a particularly beneficial sport for people with intellectual impairments. There is no better competitive activity for the Special Olympics being that it ensures both physical exercise and social integration.

For the last 25 years, some of the music industry’s biggest talents––like Christina Aguilera and Vince Gill–– have raised money for the Special Olympics by recording the Very Special Christmas music series. So far these music-filled holiday CDs have netted the organization more than $100 million in royalties. This month, the Bowling Proprietor’s Association of America (BPAA) will begin giving away these joyous Yuletide albums to daily winners. Find out more. ]]>Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:45:58 GMTded00824-9ef1-4251-9faa-bc15026f0795

Want to put on a fundraiser for your favorite cause? Well there are lots a ways to approach it. Here are a few:

The Walkathon, (circa 1969)

The charity walkathon was invented in 1969 when a hundred or so “marchers” raised a few thousand dollars by donning sneakers, comfortable clothes and ambling around the streets of Bismarck, North Dakota for the cause of world hunger. Since that time, people of all ages have been soliciting charity walk sponsorships from their teachers, co-workers, neighbors and cousins. This model of fundraising has become so ubiquitous and irritating to many that a New York yoga instructor recently organized a 200-person “Walk to Prevent Walking.” Take that!

The Free Fall, (circa 1999)

In 1999, more than 100 women decided to organize a free-fall sky dive to raise money for cancer awareness. The free fall concept has grown over the past decade, but not without its critics: one study fielded in the United Kingdom found that treating injuries incurred at these sky dive fundraisers cost more than the money they raise. Ouch!

The Banquet, (circa 1950)

These are particularly popular in political circles. You can charge $1,000 a plate or ask heavy-hitters to pony up $10,000 or more for a table. Not within everybody’s price-range, the fundraising banquet is usually reserved for politics and the arts. SPOILER ALERT: the night is long and the chicken tastes like rubber.

The Bowl-a-thon, (circa 2000)

One of the original bowling fundraisers is Bowl for the Cure benefitting Susan G. Komen. This annual event has raised more than $9 million for combating breast cancer. Bowl for the Cure encourages bowlers to designate one league night to donate a specific amount, such as a dollar per pin, or stage pledge nights, raffles and auctions. Bowl-A-Prom is another bowling fundraiser event that is in its fifth year. The Bowl-A-Prom, which benefits children of families with cancer, takes over all 18 lanes of the Lucky Strike Bowling Center in Torrance, California. “Everybody has a great time,” says Danielle DiMatteo, who lost her mother to cancer 12 years ago. Since 2000, more and more charities have put on fundraisers at local bowling centers. Unlike walkathons and free-fall skydiving events, the injuries are few and the participation is far broader. And, unlike the average charity banquets, the food in the bowling centers is tastier.

If you would like to further investigate a bowl-a-thon venue for your next fundraiser, connect now with a bowling center in your area. ]]>Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:04:34 GMT6c4cb726-f9df-4664-b880-b93d90e90ecc

We have entered that time of year when everything tastes like pumpkin––from Starbucks® coffee to cream cheese and micro-brewed beer. This can only mean one thing: Thanksgiving is around the corner. So what better way to endure family get-togethers than a few frames of bowling?
Elkhart, Indiana’s Metzler family has spent the last 52 Thanksgivings at the local bowling center. This is one family tradition that no one is about to change.
"Grandma Metzler didn't want all the little kids under her feet in the kitchen,” explains Amy Rolle, a part of this Metzler tradition. “So the dads decided to take the kids out bowling."

Every year since that first Thanksgiving outing, the family has hit the lanes to roll a few and reminisce.

"While you're waiting on your turn to bowl you get to catch up with everybody else and talk and chat,” says Andy Cabiness, who travels to Elkhart from Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Most bowling centers are open for the entire Thanksgiving weekend. Check for onenear you and start a lasting Thanksgiving tradition.]]>Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:07:37 GMT95a021ea-16b0-450c-bb0e-10c52efeb536

The holidays are rapidly approaching. Jack Frost is nipping away at our nostrils. And we are all scratching our heads trying to think of what to get our nephews, nieces and grumpy Uncle Ralph. Well, you are in luck. This year you can give the gift of music and help with a wonderful cause. For the last 25 years, some of the music’s biggest stars have raised money for the Special Olympics by recording the A Very Special Christmas music series. Artists like Vince Gill and Christina Aguilera have helped the Special Olympics raise more than $100 million in contributed royalties. This holiday season, the Bowling Proprietor’s Association of America (BPAA) will be giving away these joyous Christmas albums to daily winners and everyone who buys one receives two free games of bowling. Find out how you can win.So why not knock out your list early this year? Who wouldn’t want this CD as part of their music collection? Order now. ]]>Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:14:21 GMT36c85b21-8e4f-41d5-bd4e-b66a43a2898c

As the weather goes from cool to cold, people tend to put off exercising and put on pounds. Looking for a way to stay fit this winter? Bowling is the perfect answer. Head to your nearby bowling center and roll a few. That’s what Irma Wenzel has been doing for the last 70 years.

The 79-year-old retiree is the oldest woman in Nevada history to roll a perfect 300 game. 12 strikes in a row! During her regular league game, bowling center officials presented her with a plaque to commemorate her record.
“I always dreamed of what it would be like to have a perfect game,” said a smiling Wenzel. “It just happened. It really did. I never thought it would be me.”
When Wenzel was a few frames away from her perfect game, she noticed others in the facility gathering around her. With each strike, the crowd got bigger and louder.
“It’s like a big family here,” she proclaims. “Everyone gathered around to watch me bowl and was saying, ‘One more, one more.’ “
Wenzel bowls four times each week at Summerlin Lanes to stay active. She also exercises four times per week and doesn’t hesitate flexing her arms to display well-defined muscles.
Bowling isn’t just the perfect sport for the winter months, it’s the perfect sport for life. Whether you are eight or eighty, bowling is one game that you never outgrow. Just ask Irma. To find a bowling center near you, just click here. ]]>Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:16:51 GMT3063c3de-74c5-49e3-95c3-5ddad2968bf8

What do you give the man who has everything? The answer is obvious: a bowling gift card.
It’s the gift that nobody returns and everyone loves. You don’t have to guess sizes or include gift receipts. Most bowling centers sell bowling gift cards and certificates good for one game of bowling. They’re honored by bowling centers across the country and around the corner. They make great stocking stuffers for the kids and excellent door prizes for the company Christmas party. Find a bowling center near youand let them hook you up. Who knows? You may have just finished this year’s holiday shopping.
]]>Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:56:38 GMT943f1c03-e9ca-4bd7-b409-0d66218db16d

Tired of the same old office party? So is everyone else. Here’s an idea. Make this year’s holiday potluck an off-campus bowling party. Bowling is the game that everyone can play. From your gutter-ballers to your ace bowlers, bowling is a fun time for all. You can cater the event, keep it a potluck affair or sample those tasty morsels that are available at most bowling centers: nachos, pizza, burgers, brats and more. Reserve a couple of lanes and divide up into teams. You might want to add door prizes or even trophies to round out the event. Best of all, a bowling party is a party that never has to stop. You can bowl one game, two games or even three. Find a bowling center near you and get them to help with the planning. Put the merry back in Christmas. Go bowling.
]]>Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:00:46 GMT85c1b5c2-8deb-46e4-a500-2306cc3b2f79

We’ve all been there. Stuck indoors with the relatives. The silence is deafening. There is no safe topic of conversation. You can’t talk politics. You’re all rooting for different sports franchises. And your Uncle Kevin thinks that global warming is caused by too many telephone poles. What you need is a nice game of bowling. Think about it! When the family goes bowling, everybody has fun. The kids are happy. Your mother-in-law is not rearranging your pantry. And Uncle Kevin can’t see a single telephone pole. Find a nearby bowling center and get the family out of the house. Go bowling. Everybody will live longer.
]]>Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:04:15 GMTf42ef6ff-5436-4364-8e33-3b5b4bc22260

The holiday turkey was perfectly stuffed and now so are you. You’ve feasted on creamed peas, candied yams, two helpings of cranberry sauce, Aunt Elinore’s rum balls and Uncle Berthold’s eggnog punch. So why not get a jump on your New Year’s resolution, load up the car and take the whole family somewhere they can burn off all those Christmas calories. Go bowling. The act of bowling burns about 115 calories per hour. That’s nearly twice the calories you’ll burn taking a brisk hour’s walk. Bowling is fun. And it gives your muscles a workout that you’ll never get bench pressing the TV remote control. Find a nearby bowling centerand get up and get moving. Bowling does a body good.
]]>Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:07:58 GMT45967fc1-1725-47bc-8edb-bd79103b3817

No doubt about it, January is the month for bowl games. And if you love college football, you gotta love these puppies. The list reads like Forrest Gump’s never-ending listing of tasty shrimp combinations. There’s the Rose Bowl, Gator Bowl, Orange Bowl, Outback Bowl. You got your Sugar Bowl, your Fiesta Bowl, your Cotton Bowl, your BCS Bowl. That’s not to mention the most American of creations: the branded bowls (Chick-fil-A, GoDaddy and Capital One). Then there are the schools. We’ve got Notre Dame versus Alabama. We’ve got Northwestern facing down Mississippi State. We’ve got Florida State tangling with Northern Illinois. And we’ve got South Carolina toe-to-toe with Michigan. There’s Oregon facing off with Kansas State. There’s A&M nose-to-nose with Oklahoma. There’s Kent State against Arkansas State. There’s Florida taking on Louisville. And last, but not least, there’s Stanford face-to-face with Wisconsin. And this list doesn’t include the bowl games and matchups that are squeezed in between Christmas cheer and New Year’s resolutions. So with all this outstanding college football, who has time to go bowling? Well, you do. Because…there’s night bowling, bumper bowling, cosmic bowling, virtual bowling. There’s team bowling, league bowling, beer bowling, caffeinated bowling. There’s bowling with the boys, bowling with the girls, bowling with the gang, bowling with the kids. There’s barefoot bowling. First date bowling. Blindfold bowling. And…well, any way, you get the idea. This January find a bowling centernear you. Grab a bowl game and grab a bowling ball.]]>Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:12:30 GMT6b891c8d-c1ab-42a7-865e-d9ca23027a84

Like the sound of free gasoline? Well, of course you do. And we’ve got the perfect way to gas up your ride all yearlong, absolutely free. It’s the Gobowling.com free gas giveaway. All you have to do is likeour Facebook page and enter to win.Not only will you have a shot at winning a year’s worth of gas, you’ll get two free games of bowling just for entering. So like us today on Facebook and enjoy two free bowling games at a bowling center near you. Just another reason to go bowling!]]>Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:18:30 GMT4438d9b2-77fc-47bf-85f6-c003e3373c7f

It’s a brand-new year. Out with the old and in with the new. So now is the perfect time to make your New Year’s bowling resolutions. If you need some thought-starters, we’ve brought along a few:

This year, I will take the kids bowling every weekend. (Well, almost every weekend).

This year, I will learn to be a better loser. (But when I win, I will let you know it).

This year, I will celebrate someone’s birthday at a bowling center. (Even if it is my own).

This year, I will drink less and bowl more. (Although drinking while bowling is still allowed).

This year, I will promise not to cuss every time someone on my team throws a gutter ball. (When I throw a gutter ball, a certain amount of cursing is permissible).

This year, when I go bowling after work I will always let my wife know. (Besides, she’s really not buying that working late story).

This year, I will exercise more often. (For the record, bowling counts as exercise. And lifting a beer mug has been scientifically proven to burn calories. See resolution #4).

This year, I will work on being a better sport. (Either that or I just might bowl where people can’t see me).

This year, I will offer to buy the first game. (But only if someone offers to buy the first round).

This year, I will not make fun of someone’s bowling form. (Unless, of course, it means a guaranteed laugh).

So tell us your bowling resolution and have a great 2013. Looking for the closest bowling center? Click here.]]>Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:23:16 GMT0d58512f-fa44-4b4a-bd9d-7e9d495c597e

We’re living in a multi-screen world from the bedroom to the TV room to the neighborhood bowling center. People text from their phones while surfing the web on their laptops. They answer emails on their mobile devices while they watch their wide-screen TVs. And they go bowling expecting to post pictures with their smart phones while they follow their bowling score on one screen and watch the football game on another. This multi-screen phenomenon appears to be the new world order. According to a recent Pew study conducted among 2,254 American adults, 52 percent of men and women say they watch more than one screen at a time. 81 percent of mobile device users ages 18 to 24 report they are glued to their smart phones whenever they view TV at their home. Android has even issued a 3-D bowling app so you can actually bowl virtually at the same time you are bowling physically. Can it get any crazier? We hope so. So grab your mobile device and head to a bowling center near you. Going bowling just gets curiouser and curiouser.]]>Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:27:03 GMTb2ddf263-8155-4678-8532-e23a0b2deeb0

Can’t be in New Orleans for the big game? Enjoy the next best thing. Have your party at a bowling center. Bowling centers make any party a blast! Have your guests arrive in time to play a few frames of bowling, then settle into watching the game on your bowling center’s wide screen plasma. Your local bowling center can set you up with appetizers and frosty refreshments or you can make arrangements to have the party catered. Most bowling centers are happy to accommodate. Watching the big game will never be the same. Find a bowling centernear you.]]>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:12:47 GMTf1a8b5f6-5a87-4492-b909-e2851aabfe13

Ever since Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were spotted on a bowling date last year, bowling has been seen as a great place for unpretentious romance. No wine lists, no snooty waiters, just a great time for everyone. Plus a bowling center will be much easier to get into on Valentine’s Day than your average restaurant.

Bowling has always been a great dating venue. Howaboutwe.com lists the following reasons that bowling is the perfect first date:

It’s all under one roof. Food, booze and recreation.

You can touch each other without being creepy. Well, maybe a little creepy.

You can be competitive. The fastest way into a woman’s heart is by kicking her ass bowling.

You have an easy exit if there isn’t chemistry.

Less pressure. It’s okay to put your elbows on the table.

You can check out each other’s butt.

So why not surprise your significant other with a Valentine’s date that will go down in the books? Find a bowling center near you. ]]>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:16:52 GMT6bb21175-7c5b-4eb8-b99b-5d1ecd222844

Nothing says love like bowling. Bowling has been used to raise money for a variety of worthwhile causes and to help folks around the world. From Susan G. Komen Bowl for the Cure to the Bowling Special Olympics. And right now, GoBowling.com is sharing the love with their Free Gas for A Year Sweepstakes. That’s right, free gasoline for a whole year! To get your shot at this fabulous prize, all you have to do is enter to win either on our Facebook page or on GoBowling.com.Not only will you be entered to win a year’s worth of gas, but you’ll also get two free games of bowling just for signing up. So like us today on Facebook and enjoy two free bowling games at a bowling center near you. Spread the word as we spread the love.
]]>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:21:35 GMTee78b17a-4c15-40ff-9292-32977dc79e51

You may not be old enough to remember it, but from 1971 through 1978 television hosted a game show that routinely brought celebrities and the pastime of bowling together for some memorable match ups. Actors and actresses like William Shatner and Kate Jackson faced down other celebs like George Foreman, Bob Newhart and Frankie Avalon for some serious bowling. The show was called––appropriately enough––Celebrity Bowling. Today you can still spot famous people taking a break from the limelight to knock over a few pins. Justin Bieberwas seen getting hot and heavy with Selena Gomez at LA’s Matador Bowl. The paparazzi has gotten its share of shots of pop star Britney Spearssneaking off to do a little bowling with her family.Even the President of the United Stateswas spotted taking his daughters bowling in Hawaii.

So why is bowling a sport that is enjoyed by so many celebrities? Because beneath all that fame, celebrities are just people and bowling is fun. To find a bowling center near you, visit here. Then go bowling!
]]>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:26:30 GMT17bb5e58-6466-47c8-bb35-5fbe2750dcd8

Want to be a better bowler? Nobody is born a great bowler. It all comes with practice. And right now, you have a shot at winning free bowling for an entire year. Imagine! Bowling at your favorite bowling center all year long, absolutely free! Enter now to win. In the mean time, find a bowling center near youto brush up on your game. After all, practice makes perfect. So, go bowling!]]>Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:47:53 GMT611cfb42-d5cf-4339-b8f7-0801d9db5d65

Spring is here and so is pollen. All of which means allergies. So you can do one of two things: load up on antihistamines or go bowling. Now antihistamines will make you drowsy. Bowling will give you energy. Antihistamines can cause dry mouth. Bowling, on the other hand, comes with beer and other refreshing beverages. Antihistamines slow your reaction time. Bowling improves coordination and concentration. So what’s it going to be? Antihistamines or bowling? It’s not even a contest! Find a bowling center near you and show allergies who’s boss. Go bowling.]]>Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:50:30 GMTe1082731-ba40-4d15-83ad-6f2a6b3fd0fa

St. Paddy’s day is just around the corner and there’s never been a better time to party. So you can try to squeeze into your local Irish pub, rub shoulders with hundreds of drunken strangers, step over the green vomit. Or you can go somewhere that the fun never stops: your nearby bowling center. Go bowling. Who knows? There might even be a pot of gold in it for you.]]>Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:54:13 GMTfc80be62-6dfc-4767-bc47-a78e9f8d5d98

It’s springtime and that means you have just three months to get your body swimsuit-ready.
So it’s time to shed your winter flab and start crunching those abs. What better way to get in shape than bowling. It’s fun. It burns calories. And it is easy on your knees. In fact, the Mayo Clinic says that an hour of bowling can burn around 200 calories for a 160 pound person and as many as 273 calories for someone tipping the scales at 200 pounds. Not bad! So put down that TV remote control and find a nearby bowling center.Go Bowling. Your bikini will thank you.]]>Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:56:54 GMT8c26af9b-5d9d-49fc-b835-605fec12d8ca

It’s like you’ve died and gone to bowling heaven. Imagine! Every day for a year, you awake to the knowledge that you can bowl free at your favorite bowling center! Sweet, huh? Well, that could be your life and all you have to do to earn this heavenly reward is just enter. SO what are you waiting for? Sign up to win. In the mean time, you may want to pick out your closest bowling center. After all, you could be spending a lot of time there this next year.]]>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:38:32 GMTbb9feb97-28db-4bd6-901f-4335daa60af1

Bowling will be burning a little rubber starting this May. It’s GoBowling’s Racetrack Sweepstakes (May 15th through June 21st). There will be plenty of prizes, like an all expense-paid trip to the big race itself. Stay tuned for details. And, in the meantime, go bowling at your nearest bowling center. ]]>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:41:35 GMTfbb47d3c-c9df-4880-ac63-bf2747cb8b3d

The so-called “weaker sex” will be coming on strong this month as registration begins for Bowling’s USBC Women’s Championship, hosted again this year in Reno, Nevada. The event will be conducted from April 12th to July 1st and represents the world’s largest annual participatory championship for women bowlers. Bowlers compete in teams, doubles and singles in a three-division, 100-percent-handicap format. Prizes are also awarded for the top overall scratch score. Do you have what it takes to compete? Bone up on your game at your local bowling center. Find a bowling center near you and let’s give it all you’ve got for girl power! Go bowling.
]]>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:45:12 GMTd597dc7e-b319-4164-b1bd-d47981c2ddd9

Let’s take a minute to test your bowling knowledge. For instance, did you know there is actual archeological evidence that the ancient Pharaohs bowled? That’s right. Well, not the Pharaohs maybe but real-live (now dead) ancient Egyptians. Of course, it wasn’t the form of bowling we know today. There were likely no bowling lanes, automated pinsetters or draft beer served by the pitcher, but there were balls and pins and winners and losers. After all, they probably needed to unwind after a long week of building pyramids. Heck! There’s no telling how old this crazy cool pastime is! All we know for sure is, if Adam had had it in Eden, he might have saved us all a whole lot of trouble. Get to your nearby bowling center. Go bowling. Make some history of your own.
]]>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:48:05 GMTec0b2894-57e7-40e2-8bbe-4af9e8f7c10c

April is the beginning of bridal season. And it’s not too early for even a June bride’s Maid of Honor to reserve the perfect bachelorette party. We’re thinking bowling. Your neighborhood bowling center can help you plan a bachelorette party that will have it all: great fun, great food and rivers of adult beverages (male stripper, not included). Want to see how it’s done? This California bridal party tore it up at their local bowling lane. So why not take some time to scout the perfect site of your history-making bachelorette extravaganza? Find a nearby bowling center now. Go Bowling. It’s also great practice for throwing that bouquet.]]>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:51:50 GMTb48da86e-935f-4955-8b0a-e3b8d6f26948
Almost everyone enjoys going bowling, except for one specific group of people: those who stink at bowling. So here are a few pointers on how to improve your bowling prowess and at least keep your ball between the ditches.

1) The Right Hand Position
First, fold your hands and pray. It can’t hurt. Next, slide your fingers inside the holes and remember: don’t squeeze. This is why selecting your ball is so important. A loose-fitting thumb hole will cause you to squeeze with your fingers. This is bad form. Keep your fingers relaxed. This is the ideal bowling grip.

2) The Right Form
Observe the good bowlers at the bowling center. You’ll notice something about their last step before you release the ball. They will lower their body to the ground with a bend of the knees. They will keep their feet pointed forward, the front foot meeting the foul line square on. The back leg will sweep behind their front leg as their front knee bends. The release of the ball occurs when their front foot is approximately six inches shy of the foul line. This is a throwing (not dropping) motion. This prevents the ball being slowed by the friction of the lane. Keep your thumb pointed forward so your wrist doesn’t rotate. Keep your arm straight and do not drop your shoulder. Practice this form and you will be bowling strikes in no time. Have a better bowler watch you as you practice and invite them to make suggestions.

3) The Right Mindset
Like any athlete will tell you, half the battle of excelling at a sport is the mental game. Bowling is no different. Never let a gutter ball get you down. Stay positive. Don’t let what’s going on in the next lane distract you. Adjust the ball direction as needed. Finally, have fun. This is bowling. Not discus hurling. Chill and enjoy the game. After all, how many sports allow you to drink beer during the game? Think about it.
]]>Mon, 06 May 2013 15:51:51 GMT73e20922-d6af-41f1-ab8d-dba3bc64cb73

Bowling collides with NASCAR beginning May 15th. It’s Go Bowling’s Racetrack Sweepstakes. There will be plenty of prizes, like an all-expense-paid trip for two to the big race itself. Order a 44-ounce Pepsi at any participating bowling center and get a special entry code. Go to GoBowling.com and enter the code. It’s that easy! The winner of the sweepstakes also gets to be the honorary race starter. Get more details now. Visit a bowling center near you and get started.
]]>Wed, 15 May 2013 16:20:30 GMT0a3f1b15-17d2-421a-ad50-f30856ff2585
(Photo: Steve Mellon/ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Bowling has yet to be declared an Olympic event, but it’s a favorite sport in the Special Olympics. Irrespective of age, gender or intellectual disabilities, bowling promotes physical exercise, social integration, sportsmanship and team building. Even physically challenged athletes participate in the game with the help of a ramp. Bowlers are grouped into divisions according to the athletes’ ability. Special Olympics athletes can choose from a variety of events, including singles, doubles or team. Special Olympics coaches agree that the best thing about bowling as an event is this: it’s just plain fun.
]]>Mon, 20 May 2013 19:17:14 GMT25b40437-2c87-4d41-b907-bcbbea1e3f6e

Memorial Day! It’s the first long weekend of the summer and the beginning of that familiar teen and pre-teen lament: “I’m bored!!!” So combat that adolescent boredom with a trip to your local bowling center. It’s wall-to-wall fun, come rain or shine. Not to mention, it’s one of the safest holiday weekend activities around. So hop in the car and turn all that boredom into laughter and hoo-ha. Find a nearby bowling centerand go bowling.
]]>Mon, 20 May 2013 19:32:51 GMT51a6f18d-7565-4c07-895c-de175614a8c6
It’s the same old story, year after year. We can’t wait for summer to get here. Classes are over. The pool is opened. Everything is shorts, sunblock and flip-flops. We survive our first sunburn, suffer through our first 100-plus heat wave, then we hit the wall. That dog day summer heat starts to get us down. So why not plan a Midsummer’s Night Bowling Party now? Friends, bowling fun and air conditioning. Sweet! Invite a dozen or so of your best buds, snag a few trophies to hand out and really make a night of it. Your nearby bowling center has everything you need: hot pizza, cold beer and trays full of warm appetizers. Check here to locate the bowling center nearest you.Then get the party started.
]]>Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:52:26 GMT035f03dd-b121-419a-a302-e584605a8955
The kids are out of school and you are out of your mind. Here’s a thought: find the nearest bowling center. It offers fun to bored kids of all ages. Boys, girls, moms and dads. Everyone is born with the bowling gene. Plus, it’s great exercise. An hour spent bowling burns about 500 calories. Visit a bowling center near you and say goodbye to the summertime blues.
]]>Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:59:50 GMT3300b557-1d5e-454e-aed8-b67719c25c97
Think of the Fourth of July and what comes to mind? Fireworks. Parades. Cook outs. And for the truly daring patriot: bowling. That’s right, bowling. Check it out, no one ever received first-degree sunburns on the Fourth of July by partying at the bowling center. And nobody ever permanently damaged their retinas by staring too long at dazzling bowling pins bursting apart when they threw the quintessential strike. Of course, in fairness, there haven’t been a lot of scarred retinas from viewing fireworks displays. But anything with fire in its name has got to be pretty dangerous. This year, celebrate the Fourth like a pro. Go Bowling. Find a nearby bowling center now.]]>Tue, 25 Jun 2013 14:21:52 GMT71c084cf-17e2-4676-ba32-5c46e7699251
Hey NASCAR fans, this is your chance to win a $1,000 Loud & Proud race fan makeover. It’s all a part of our celebration of the GoBowling.com 400. The lucky winner of the GoBowling Loud & Proud giveaway contest gets a $1,000 race fan shopping spree. To enter, just dress up in your favorite NASCAR driver colors. Snap a digital picture and upload it here. Vote on your favorite photos and ask your friends to vote for yours. So what are you waiting for? A $1,000 shopping spree and other cool prizes could be yours! Contest winners will be announced after August 9th. So what are you waiting for? We want to see you at your loudest and proudest!]]>Tue, 02 Jul 2013 14:33:32 GMT344a3eb9-7ab3-49bc-a46c-13218c0bb187
The family vacation––it’s one hard fought battle after another.

So why not take a vacation from the vacation and head to the one place where nobody whines? Everybody gets their own ball, their own shoes and their own turn. No matter where your summer vacation takes you, there is always a bowling center someplace nearby. Look here to locate a bowling center near you. So go bowling.

"Mom, Jackson took MY turn."

Yeah, there’s always that.]]>Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:42:56 GMT528c3d59-adc8-4fc3-894a-c088d1c9b05c
Where did bowling pro Kelly Kulick learn to bowl like that? She will tell you, at bowling camp. That’s right! Bowling greats like Kelly Kulick and Patrick Allen spent their summers honing their talents at a summer bowling camp. You can find bowling camps all across the country. There are 5-day camps, 4-day programs and 2-day refreshers. Most camps will videotape the student before and after the course, instruct them on timing, balance, strategy and how to deal with pressure. They’re a great place to make new friends as well as improve your bowling skills. To find a bowling camp near you check with your local bowling center.]]>Tue, 23 Jul 2013 18:08:17 GMT31e8697c-fbc7-455b-91b3-a53c042cc140
The GoBowling.com 400 is barreling down the pike. This year Aric Almirola and #43 GoBowling.com Ford Fusion have their eyes on the prize. In fact, the rumor is that Aric and the Richard Petty Motorsports team have been spending their days doing practice runs on Pocono’s legendary “Tricky Triangle.” Catch all the action August 4th on ESPN. Or better yet, go to our Facebook page and enter to win 2 free tickets to the paint-scraping, rubber-burning excitement of this extraordinary NASCAR race. The GoBowling.com 400 race will feature a VIP pre-race party with special guests like Richard Petty, Aric Almirola and last year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Brad Keselowski. There will be a Bowlopolis Kids Zone where kids and adults alike can enjoy bowling fun and win cool prizes. Plus, you can cheer on Justin Small, the winner of our Stop Your Thirst & Start the Race promotion as he waves the starting flag. So what are you waiting for? Enter now. After all, everybody loves a winner. Right, Aric?]]>Mon, 29 Jul 2013 21:27:46 GMTf018440d-e9e1-466c-b492-f61d2565ffd4
Richard Petty Motorsports is revved about their #43 driver’s chances at Pocono’s GoBowling.com 400 coming up August 4th. But NASCAR isn’t the only sport that is near and dear to NASCAR legend Richard Petty. Everybody in the racing world knows Petty as “The King.” After all, he has won the NASCAR Championship a grand total of seven times. But long before he ever cruised a high bank oval, Petty was a bowler. “It’s a game you can enjoy whether you are seven or seventy, “ states the NASCAR icon. For the next two years, GoBowling.com and Richard Petty Motorsports are teaming up to promote the two sports Richard loves most: NASCAR and bowling. Tune in to ESPN to watch No. 43 compete at the GoBowling.com 400 on August 4th. After that, go do what Richard Petty will likely be doing. Go bowling.
]]>Wed, 31 Jul 2013 16:22:56 GMTf5a9c58a-ae2e-46d9-8438-3d3791624678
Dane Cook is a maniac with a microphone. But this year he’s branching out from his falling-down funny stand up gig. He’s the voice of Dusty in Disney’s new animated adventure "Planes". But Cook will be doing more than flying high this summer; he’ll be scorching up Pocono’s speedway. GoBowling.com 400 spokesman John Harbuck recently announced the actor/comedian would be the Grand Marshal of the GoBowling.com 400 race. What are the duties of the Grand Marshal, you ask? The actor/comedian’s answer is simple: “I’m the guy who gets to say ‘Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines’…how cool is that?” The GoBowling.com 400 race will feature a VIP pre-race party with special guests like NASCAR legend Richard Petty, Aric Almirola, the driver of #43 Ford Fusion and last year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Brad Keselowski. There will be a Bowlopolis Kids Zone where kids and adults alike can enjoy bowling fun and win cool prizes.
]]>Fri, 02 Aug 2013 17:20:30 GMT56cf7a7a-f521-480a-8485-23252c9aea1eSTART YOUR ENGINES: BOWLING MEETS RACING AT THE GOBOWLING.COM 400 AT POCONO RACEWAY

Groundbreaking Sponsorship Features Renaming of August NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race as the GoBowling.com 400; Includes Partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports

LONG POND, PA,August 5, 2013 – Two of America’s great past times came together with the first-ever GoBowling.com 400, a two year sponsorship program that renamed the August NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ace after the great sport of bowling. Pocono Raceway and Strike Ten Entertainment, the sponsorship activation arm of the bowling industry, rolled out the groundbreaking, multi-faceted partnership deal, bringing together two of the nation’s favorite sports brands: NASCAR and GoBowling.com, the official brand of bowling.

With comedian Dane Cook serving as Grand Marshall, fans also had a chance to see the most famed car in NASCAR featuring the GoBowling.com branding – the No. 43 Ford Fusion, made famous by legendary driver Richard Petty. The freshly rebranded car was now operating with GoBowling.com as the primary sponsor via a partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) and Strike Ten Entertainment. The car, driven by Aric Almirola, completed the GoBowling.com 400 in the 20th position.

“This groundbreaking partnership joins two great American past times while leveraging the power of NASCAR to introduce the GoBowling.com brand to millions of new consumers and to further elevate the profile of our great sport,” said Frank DeSocio, president of Strike Ten Entertainment. “We’re also so proud to associate the GoBowling.com brand with Pocono Raceway and Richard Petty Motorsports, two iconic American brands that share our values of fun, family and sportsmanship.”

In addition to the renaming of the race as the GoBowling.com 400 and the introduction of the GoBowling.com No. 43 Ford Fusion, Pocono Raceway and Strike Ten Entertainment deployed an integrated sponsorship campaign that extended across multiple platforms that included traditional marketing, digital and social media as well as event activations. The program also included the GoBowling.com 400 “Stop Your Thirst & Start The Race” Sweepstakes, which provided grand prize winner Justin Small of Rock Hill, South Carolina with an opportunity to be ‘Honorary Race Starter’ and wave the green flag that started the 400-mile race. The contest was conducted across approximately 2,100 participating bowling centers nationwide with Small receiving round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations and VIP tickets to the race.

“There’s no brand more powerful than bowling and we’re absolutely thrilled to bring the GoBowling.com 400 to Pocono Raceway and align two sports that are Americana at its best,” said Brandon Igdalsky, Pocono Raceway President and CEO. “This is also a very exciting partnership for our raceway, for our staff and for me on a personal level as bowling is an activity that I regularly enjoy with my wife and my daughters.”

The partnership program also included a series of GoBowling.com-themed bowling league promotional contests and in-center marketing elements, as well as other initiatives that were rolled out across thousands of participating bowling centers.
GoBowling.com is the website to visit to learn more about the 2,100+ bowling centers around the country. Fans can learn about their local bowling centers, promotional offers, bowling tips and more.

About GoBowling.com
GoBowling.com is the destination for bowling fans and enthusiasts seeking news and information about one of America’s favorite pastimes and the nation’s number one participatory sport. With more than 71 million people taking to the lanes every year, GoBowling.com is a one-stop location where people of all ages can go to satisfy their love of bowling. Consumers turn to GoBowling.com every day to find bowling fun – discovering new bowling centers, tips and tricks to use on the lanes, event news and great deals at more than 2,100+ family-friendly bowling centers across the country.

About Strike Ten Entertainment
Headquartered in Arlington, Texas, Strike Ten Entertainment is the centralized sponsor-activation arm of the bowling industry. Strike Ten Entertainment serves all organizations of bowling by coordinating the industry’s sales and marketing efforts. Strike Ten Entertainment’s mission is to increase national awareness of bowling and to assist the bowling industry in developing new bowlers and increasing the frequency of existing bowlers each year through promotions, publicity and industry-wide marketing initiatives.

About Pocono Raceway
“The Tricky Triangle” is host to two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, one IZOD IndyCar Series, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series; two ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and one Firestone Indy Light Series events each year. Pocono Raceway’s 2.5-mile triangular design makes it truly unique. Pocono is the only track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Circuit with three turns, three different radii and three variant degrees of banking. All that ensures our fans will enjoy some serious action, meanwhile presenting a competitive challenge to the world’s best drivers and their crew chiefs. Pocono strives to create a family atmosphere with increased focus on the Fan Experience. We are Pocono Raceway and this is “The Tricky Triangle.”
In business for over 50 years, Pocono Raceway is family-owned and situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. We are located within 300 miles of one-third of the U.S. population and within 90 miles of New York City and Philadelphia. Pocono Raceway is and always will be an attractive option for NASCAR and race fans alike.

Pocono Raceway is the world’s largest solar powered sports facility. The Raceway developed a 25 acre, three megawatt solar farm that provides the energy needs of the Raceway as well as adding electricity to the local power grid.

About Richard Petty MotorsportsRichard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.
]]>Mon, 05 Aug 2013 18:30:54 GMT044eb82d-1165-44f4-9c46-367193156f52
Mom is staring at her smart phone. Dad is staring at his 65” plasma. Your teenager is stalking her ex-boyfriend on Facebook. And junior is immersed in his Xbox console. Today, it’s what most families consider “togetherness.” So why not shake things up this summer? Take the gang somewhere they can engage with each other. Challenge them to a game of bowling. It’s great exercise, great fun and you will actually all be staring at the same screen––the one with everybody’s score. How great is that? Get started at a nearby bowling center.
]]>Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:33:30 GMT0e42b133-d522-4f01-bd9d-7675c3eb44b2
It’s the history lesson they didn’t teach us in school––the history of bowling. But it’s a lesson that comes alive at Texas’ International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. This bowling museum traces the beginning of bowling back to the ancient Egyptians. It also pulls together one of the country’s most extensive collection of bowling memorabilia. Check out bowling’s Hall of Famers while you’re there. You’ll discover hours of enjoyment at this world-class exhibit. The museum is open 9:30 am-5:00 pm, Tuesdays through Sundays. There’s no better way to spend a summer day. In the meantime, make some bowling history of your own. Find a bowling center near you.]]>Tue, 13 Aug 2013 18:04:58 GMT0d7e48d2-76f8-4017-86bf-8747afc1def9
August is back with a vengeance. The heat is sweltering. And––face it––we just want to be in air conditioning. But that doesn’t mean we have to dial down the fun and curl up on the sofa with the remote control. Invite your friends to go bowling. It’s a sport in which anyone can participate. It’s plenty competitive. And it goes great with beer. Check here to locate a bowling center near you.So go where the AC is frosty and the fun never stops. Go bowling.
]]>Tue, 20 Aug 2013 19:57:50 GMTf55bc264-7b13-458d-93eb-670c9ce6d2af
Planning a back-to-school party is a breeze if you do it right. All it takes is a list of the kids you want to invite and a call to your closest bowling center. To find a bowling center location near you just click here.Most centers can help with beverage and food suggestions, reserve a party room and even order a celebratory cake. Pick a day. A time. And shoot everyone on your list an Evite. It’s that easy. There is no funner way to kick off the new school year.]]>Tue, 20 Aug 2013 21:02:06 GMTfbaebe08-a44f-4a72-b7d1-b76178d41e86
Face it. The architects of this most noble sport did not make it easy. The lane is sixty feet of polished hardwood with two treacherous ditches on either side. You’re not even allowed to wear your own shoes. Challenging, to be sure. But when you release that 16-pound ball of rumbling thunder and it knocks over every single bowling pin like just so many fallen enemy combatants––it’s pure magic! You just can’t hold back that cock-of-walk victory strut that springs up like a fountain in your innermost being. We’re talking about the victory dance. Here are a few of our favorites:

The Tiger

This one is subtle, almost introspective. Made famous by Tiger Woods on the links, it’s the fist-pump dance. No leg action required. You watch the last pin tumble over. You bow your head. Close your eyes. Make a fist. Give it one little pump downward. Clean, elegant, almost humble. Optional: move your lips to the silent word “Yes!”

The End Zone

This well-worn celebratory dance says look at me, I’m a bowling god. Made famous by steroid-addled athletes in the NFL, this move consists of an undulating pelvis, a broad, toothy grin and a finger wag that says “I’m number one.” But please, whatever you do, don’t spike the ball.

The Pump and Jump

This is a complex, compound move where the fist-pump is accompanied by a gazelle-like leap into the air. This one looks better in our heads where we imagine we glide in slow motion in a downpour of confetti. In reality, this bouncy hop always looks pretty much the same: slightly dorky.

The Millhouse

Made famous by President Richard Millhouse Nixon, this little number is all in the finger action. You make your strike, you spin around on one foot, fling you arms heavenward with your two biggest fingers forming Vs for victory. You’re the man! (Historical sidebar: Nixon made this celebratory gesture famous at two Republican conventions, two landslide elections and then permanently retired it upon resigning ignominiously from office. Oh, well.)

The High Five Tilt-a-Whirl

This constantly whirring move doesn’t miss a slap. You high-five your teammates, your rivals, your neighbors, the bowling center waitress and the nursing mother with the slightly horrified look on her face. You want the world to share this moment. And they really have no other choice.

The Belly Bump Jump

Do not try this at home. This is a risky advanced maneuver in the best circumstances and requires the perfect symmetry and cooperation of a fellow belly-bumping jumper. But pull it off, and you receive the deep, abiding admiration of your fellow bowlers. Heck, they might even by the next round.

To perform these victory mambos, you’re going to need a bowling center. Find your closest one here.]]>Tue, 20 Aug 2013 21:06:30 GMT31797b16-9ec3-4c87-8902-ad9a04a25cf0
August is back-to-school time and GoBowling.com wants you to look your best. It’s our 2 Cool 4 School Sweepstakes. Enter to win a $1,000 back-to-school shopping spree. Think of it! $1,000 to spend however and wherever you like! Plus, you can enter as often as you want. The more times you enter, the greater your chances of winning. Enter today and head back to school in style. Sweepstakes ends of September 30th.]]>Wed, 28 Aug 2013 13:43:27 GMT6ba27bfb-26c8-4ea4-8952-08e3dce688fe

Bowling is a pastime that everyone can enjoy––even kids with disabilities. Just ask Saul Garza III. He’s a 13-year-old kid from Hildago, Texas who loves to bowl. From a wheelchair.

“It’s cool,” exclaims Garza, “You spend time with your family and friends.”

Garza and his buddies are part of Miracle Kids of South Texas, a networking group for families of disabled children. Saul’s dad watched his son bowl at the organization’s first bowling tournament. As his son sent balls rumbling down the lane, he explained the significance of this bowling event.

“This helps him spend time with other kids who have disabilities,” said Saul Garza, Jr., a Harlingen telephone company technician. “This is a network. It helps families bond together. It lets kids have fun.”

These sorts of events are happening at bowling centers across the country. All they take is little planning and the insights of your bowling center’s meeting planner. Bowling is a sport for all ages and all people. Little wonder that bowling is recognized as an official activity of the United States Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF), the National Disability Sports Alliance (NDSA), Special Olympics International (SOI), and the American Wheelchair Bowling Association (AWBA).

If you or your organization would like help planning a bowling party or tournament for people with special needs, contact a bowling center near you. And go bowling!
]]>Tue, 17 Sep 2013 21:52:20 GMT2480cf02-1dee-4484-aeaa-e50cd51ffc3f
Mark your calendars! Wake the neighbors! Spread the word! October is National Learn to Bowl Month. It’s your month to learn how to become a better bowler. Whether you’re a casual bowler who wants to improve your game or you’re someone that’s never picked up a bowling ball, your local participating center has free bowling lessons available all October long.

Let your nearby bowling center hook you up with Bowling 2.0. Bowling 2.0 is an innovative program that consists of 4 lessons given over a 4-week period. These weekly lessons will teach you how to choose your ball, how to improve your form and how to master your lane. This state-of-the-art bowling course can train anyone to bowl. Whether you’re 8 or 80, Bowling 2.0 can get you started on the game of lifetime.
Sign up now at a participating bowling center for your Bowling 2.0 lessons today.
]]>Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:00:23 GMT76b7d064-ad58-44ce-831f-ac896e173d6f
It’s World Series time­­ again, when everybody and his brother becomes a baseball fan. After all, baseball is America’s favorite pastime, right?

Not so fast, slugger.

A lot of football fans would tell you no––especially during Grid Iron season. Then again, it might appear that basketball is the nation’s number one pastime if we look at the month of March. That month is full of hoops, hoopla and very tall men wearing very short pants tearing up the court. Heck, even hockey has a growing following in the states, these days. (In your face, Canada!). It all has to do with what season we happen to be in. There’s baseball season, basketball season, football season, PGA season, hockey season, duck season, rabbit season. Every sport and pastime seems to have its season.

All except for one: bowling.

It’s the sport that is played year around. Which must mean we Americans like bowling so much that we are unwilling to squeeze it into the confines of some so-called “season.” And that’s not all. It’s also the pastime we Americans spend as much time doing as we do watching. Which probably makes it America’s least couch-bound pastime. And you play it without a helmet.

So let baseball be America’s favorite pastime. We’re cool with that. Why shouldn’t we be? We are the only sport around that let’s our players drink Pabst Blue Ribbon during the game instead of Gatorade. Have you ever tasted Gatorade? Meh!

So if you want a pastime that offers year-round fun, we think bowling has everything it takes. Give it try. It could even turn out to be your favorite. Look for a center near you.Go bowling.
]]>Tue, 01 Oct 2013 22:57:18 GMT6818061d-56d7-44db-b375-7d7fdc8252f5Wed, 02 Oct 2013 22:02:36 GMT22a6f19c-10b3-41ba-bf0a-3aebc978fc7aWed, 02 Oct 2013 22:02:39 GMTbed76236-df28-4387-8035-4daf4c3d2b27Wed, 02 Oct 2013 22:02:42 GMTa1a0e4ad-b4cc-4c10-bdad-62aa1057ba67

There are plenty of new mobile bowling apps out there with names like Rocka Bowling 3-D, Bowling Game 3-D, Action Bowling and the like. They all promise hours of 3-D bowling fun. But the reviews are a tad less compelling. They seem to range from a solid "meh!" to an earth-shattering "not bad." Which is to be expected. After all, if you want to experience true bowling 3-D, your best bet is to head to you nearby three-dimensional bowling center, rent some non-virtual shoes, wrap your arms around an actual 15-lb. bowling ball and pour yourself a frosty, fully analog beer. That's bowling 3-D, at its best. Sure, these super-nifty-cool bowling apps can give your thumbs quite a work out on the old smart phone, but they will never deliver the kind of toothy 3-D smiles, endorphin-producing exercise, ear-splitting excitement and flesh-slapping high fives you'll experience at our local bowling lanes. After all, 3-D bowling has always required the surround-sound magic of real balls banging into real pins, spinning and clanking into a real honest-to-goodness score. Booyah!

Of course, if you're hunting for a smart phone app that can actually make you a better bowler, check out XBowling. This cool little bowling app tracks your real time score and lets you enter challenges against yourself or even bowl against other bowlers in Xbowling enabled centers. XBowling lets you accumulate points that are redeemable for everything from electronics to cash prizes. Best of all, it is an app that requires a honest-to-goodness bowling lane. Learn more about XBowling here. In the meantime, use that smart phone for what it was really designed to do: Ring up your local bowling center. Find a center near you now.Go "real" bowling, today.

]]>Wed, 09 Oct 2013 14:17:16 GMT6c3d09f0-86e4-497c-b9d9-0a374af54bfa

Family nights in most homes are sedentary affairs. There is usually a delivery pizza or two. A 2-liter bottle of pop. Popcorn. And­­––here’s irony­––an action movie. Or––if you like to kick things old-school––board games. Can you say, “coach potato?”

So here’s an idea: how about a family exercise night? With childhood obesity rates tripling over the last three decades, your kids could really benefit if family night became fitness night. And dad, when was the last time you saw your feet? So here are some thoughts on how to plan fun fitness nights:

Walk and talks
This is something your family can do right after dinner any night of the week. The rules are easy. No ear buds in anyone’s ears. You have to talk. And––this is essential­–– you have to break a sweat. These can be great times of bonding for a family. Shoot for 1 to 2 miles an evening. Wear sensible shoes. You could burn upwards to 200 calories.

Wii Bowling
If the weather doesn’t cooperate, keep your family fitness night inside and try video games that get you up and moving around. Wii Bowling is an activity with lots of full-bodied action. It is also crazy fun.

Family Mud Runs
Search Family Mud Run on Google and see what comes up in your area. There’s something called Running the Ridge in Schenectady, New York that can help mom and dad work up a sweat. There was also a 5K Family Fun Mud Run in Pennsylvania that took place on a 250-acre campus equipped with a sandpit crawl, cargo-net climb, Slip 'N Slide and, of course, truckloads of mud. You’ll want to take a shower, afterwards. Trust us.

Real Deal Bowling
Put down your joysticks and pick up a bowling ball. There is no better way to stay fit as a family than visiting your local bowling center. Two games of bowling will burn around 250 calories. It is great fun and great exercise all at the same time. Just go easy on the Buffalo wings.

Looking for the perfect team-building event? Well, skydiving is definitely out. You need something that everybody can do. Which pretty much eliminates golf. There’s rock climbing. But your acrophobics will definitely call in sick. And there’s paint ball. Ouch. Shooting your co-workers may be sending the wrong signal, don’t you think?

Which leaves bowling.

It’s nearby, affordable and everybody from the dudes in the mailroom to the dames in C-suite
know how to throw a bowling ball. Best of all, it’s actually a heck of a lot of fun.

Here are a few tips to maximize your team-building bowling outing:

1. Team people carefully. Put together teams based on your team-building agenda. Need departments interacting better? Then put them on the same bowling team. That sort of thing.

2. Put inexperienced players together with experienced ones. This is part of team building. The stronger bowlers will encourage the weaker ones. The quick learners will help the slow learners.

3. Select your bowling center wisely. Pick a bowling center near your office. Or, if you are bringing people together from around the country, choose somewhere near their hotel.

4. Hand out awards. This is Teambuilding 101. Sure! However, when bowling is the team-building activity, the trophies look super cool. Give out an award for the best score. The most improved. You get the idea.

There’s no better way to build your team than an afternoon at the lanes. Find your closest bowling center here. And go bowling.
]]>Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:22:51 GMT6a9fe153-3ffb-4ba9-83c2-6cd823826bbe

Want to plan a charity event that doesn't feel stuffy? Make your next fundraiser a bowling event. Here are the basics:

1. Get as many volunteers as possible

Rather than waiting for people to raise their hand, appoint people to do a job you know you can trust them with. People like to be called on. If they can't do it, they will let you know. Follow up to verify follow through.

2. Locate your best bowling venue

Check out a variety of bowling centers. Choose the one with the best accommodations and location. Remember, a central location will attract the most participation. You can rent a few lanes or the whole place, depending on the size of your affair. Find bowling centers in your area.

Once you have your RSVPs, start forming teams. Get advice from the bowling center on how many people to put on each team. Do this early. You do not want to leave this to the last minute.

5. Determine how you want to fund the fundraiser

Ideally, you should have an entry fee. You could approach companies to sponsor a table. Or you could get individuals to do the same and invite their interested friends. You may want to consider a cash bar to increase revenues. If there is a meal involved, you will need to distribute envelopes at each table to invite individuals to write a one-time or monthly check to fund your cause. But make it fun. Consider getting each participant to pledge a certain amount per each pin they take down. You may want to structure it where each bowler has supporters pre-pledge an amount they will pay for each pin they knock over. Set up a single Crowdfunding page on Go Fund Me where all your participants get their supporters to donate. This works well.

6. Give out prizes

Consider giving out trophies for best score, worst bowler or most passionate player. This is always fun. And that is the advantage of a bowling fundraiser, after all. Everyone leaves happy.

]]>Mon, 16 Dec 2013 22:34:28 GMT721a67c5-e43c-4646-97c5-933c10b4dcaa

So the Christmas Holidays are almost here. And that means one thing: bored kids cooped up with nothing to do. May we suggest something every kid loves? Bowling. Here's a list of the benefits:

1. Bowling Gets Kids Moving

There is an obesity epidemic among America's kids. The problem? Sugary drinks, processed foods and too much Nintendo. Bowling is exercise disguised as fun. Get your kids hooked on it.

2. Bowling Teaches Kids Sportsmanship

Bowling is a great venue to learn the basics of sportsmanship: how to lose graciously, how to encourage teammates, how to reward excellence, how to high five like a true jock, how to cheat when nobody is looking, that sort of thing.

3. Bowling Helps Kids Overcome Shyness

Kids growing up in a digital world of video games, social media and mobile screens are not only getting fatter, they are becoming more socially awkward. Sure, they may have lots of "friends" on Facebook. But they need more time interacting in person. Bowling is the ideal venue for this. Get your kid in a league and they will have friends for life.

4. Bowling Teaches Kids the Sport of a Lifetime

Bowling is one of a handful of sports that you can play from ages 7 to 70. So be a good parent, teach your kid a sport that will stick with them forever.

5. Bowling is Fun

At the risk of stating the obvious, bowling is a total blast. Your kid will never want to go home. So find your closest bowling center here and get those children bowling.

]]>Thu, 19 Dec 2013 22:54:56 GMTa2037d5f-9201-465b-a079-871c3fb8d425

Your grandpa's bowling alley is a thing of the past. Today's bowling center is being reinvented for a new generation of gourmet bowlers. Here are 5 to keep your eye on:

Take Splitsville, a chain of up-market bowling centers that runs from Florida to Texas. Don't let their retro decor fool you. This is not your typical burger and brew bowling lane. The menu serves up Crab Rangoon, Calamari and more. In place of the jukebox––live bands. Fancy!

Then there's Bowlmor (formerly 300). This club-lit coolsville of bowling brings together bowling, billiards, bocce, mini golf and more. The Addison, Texas location has been rated the best first date venue in the area. The bar's drinks and appetizers rival what you would find in a five-star restaurant. Call up your best girl and get your bowl on.

Another Texas favorite is the Main Event. This big-box bowling center offers a dozen lanes of full-bore bowling, plus billiards, mini golf, lazer tag, bocce ball and even a 28 foot rock wall for climbing for all you adrenaline junkies. The bar features a wide selection of imported and domestic beers and a wine list as long as your arm. And the food is to die for!

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Unless it happens to be bowling we're talking about. Word has it that Eva Longoria, Tony Hawk and Andre Agassi each have dropped upwards to $5,000 to reserve lanes at the world-class bowling venue of the Red Rock Casino Resort Spa.
Check out for yourself. Right!

Last, but not least, is Lucky Strike. Debuting in Hollywood, California a decade ago, this hip, clubby venue has been a movie star magnet. Today, this up-market chain of world-class bowling spans the country: Hollywood, San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City, D.C. and beyond. The vibe is more hipster lounge than bowling center. There are low-slung sofas where you can hang out, bowl or sample one Lucky Strikes spectacular martinis.
Its rockin' menu serves up an array of hot, upscale snacks. Try the Belgian fries or the spicy Green Chile Tacos. Your mouth will thank you.

Of course, if your in the mood for some down-to-earth bowling where you and your buddies can play a few frames and order something to deep-fried that doesn't come from a Sushi chef, you still can. Find a bowling center near you now. Upscale or down home, you can always find the perfect place togo bowling.

]]>Thu, 02 Jan 2014 19:31:07 GMT7a2bd9fe-14e1-4a78-a6ec-ebf5d0c68310
Here are five reasons you should go bowling in 2014:

Bowling is an (Old School) Social Network

These days many of us socialize primarily through platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. But bowling leagues have been a hub of social activity for decades. Many marriages, lifelong friendships, and business connections got started in a bowling center, thanks to the social nature of the sport.

Speaking of social networks, check us out on Facebook, or on Twitter using #gobowling.

Bowling is "In"

Believe it or not, bowling is hot! Competitive youth and adult leagues are active all across the country, and recreational bowling remains one of America's great pastimes. Special events like Cosmic Bowling, where bowlers roll glowing balls under lasers and light beams to the sound of pulse-pounding music, have also redefined the sport for a new generation.

Fun fact: did you know that bowling is the #1 sport in the world by active participation?

Bowling is Easy to Start, Hard to Master

Unlike other sports with complicated rules or costly equipment, bowling's barriers to entry are very low. A ball and a pair of shoes serve as a ticket to hours of entertainment. For those hesitant to invest, just remember that the ball is free, the shoe rental virtually free, and the lane cheap. Once the equipment and lane time are secured, bowling neophytes will discover the game is enjoyable even for those with rudimentary skills (unlike a certain game played with clubs and a small white ball that shall remain nameless!). Bowling is also great for all ages since it's not about who is the biggest, strongest, and fastest, but rather who is most skilled and consistent.

Though it's easy to get into, you won't master it immediately. Bowling is a challenging sport and can provide a lifetime of entertainment in pursuit of your next personal best game.

Bowling is Full of History and Culture

People have bowled, in some form, for millennia. It's a sport that's endured over time and across cultures. When we bowl, we're participating in one of our oldest and most cherished athletic endeavors. These days, many of America's bowling centers still retain an appealing vintage look. In an era where retro is cool, bowling centers provide an authentic way to re-visit a bit of the culture of our recent past.

Bowling is Just a Lot of Fun

The thrill of a strike, the agony of a tough split, and the feeling of satisfaction that comes with setting your personal best are some of the reasons people bowl every day. Factor in the one-of-a-kind social nature of a bowling alley, and it adds up to a sporting experience unlike any other.

GoBowling.com is teaming with one of the biggest NFL legends of all time to host the 9th Annual NFL Foundation Super Bowl Celebrity Bowling Classic at Bowlmor Chelsea Piers. Emceed by celebrated Super Bowl champion and football star, Ed ‘Too Tall’ Jones, the tournament aims to increase awareness and bring in donations for the NFL Foundation.

“I’m so proud to once again team up with GoBowling.com to host this great event that combines two of America’s favorite pastimes, bowling and football, all to benefit a terrific cause. The Classic has become an annual tradition and its continued success speaks to both the enduring popularity and the fundraising power of bowling,” said Jones. “With more than 69 million people taking to the lanes every year, bowling is our nation’s number one participatory sport and an activity that can be enjoyed by people of any age, any background and from all walks of life.”

The NFL Foundation Super Bowl Celebrity Bowling Classic brings together fans and NFL heroes alike for an exciting day of bowling. Bowlers will be teamed up with current and former NFL stars, Pro Football Hall-of-Famers and wounded warriors from joint base McGuire Air Force, Fort Dix Army and Lakehurst Naval Air in New Jersey, who will serve as rotating celebrity captains throughout the event. Fans will get an opportunity to bowl and engage with the honorary legends on an up-close and personal level.

“There’s no other event like the Classic, a day where fans get to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with NFL legends in a fun and relaxed setting, and knock down some pins all for a great cause,” said Frank DeSocio, president of Strike Ten Entertainment (STE). STE is the centralized sponsor-activation arm for bowling and the creator of GoBowling.com, the top online destination for bowling fans.

Added DeSocio, “This will be a special year for the Classic as we host the game with one of the NFL’s ‘biggest’ legends of all time in the Big Apple. We’re also pleased to welcome a number of past and present NFL stars who will take part in the tournament.”

The event will begin at 10:30 am EST on Saturday, February 1, 2014 at Bowlmor Chelsea Piers in New York City.

GoBowling.com encourages interested parties to sign up in teams of four for a total donation of $3,000 or for $750 per bowler. Guests of bowlers may also attend the event for a charge of $250 per person. Each bowler will receive a limited edition commemorative Super Bowl XLVIII bowling ball, pin and bowling shirt as well as a buffet meal and soft drinks. All proceeds will benefit the NFL Foundation, a non-profit organization. Interested parties should contact Tournament Director Nick Nicolosi at 201-489-0049 or n.nicolosi@verizon.net.

About GoBowling.com
GoBowling.com is the destination for bowling fans and enthusiasts seeking news and information about one of America's favorite pastimes and the nation's number one participatory sport. With more than 69 million people taking to the lanes every year, GoBowling.com is a one-stop location where people of all ages can go to satisfy their love of bowling. Consumers turn to GoBowling.com every day to find bowling fun – discovering new bowling centers, tips and tricks to use on the lanes, event news and great deals at more than 2,100+ family-friendly bowling centers across the country.

About Strike Ten Entertainment
Headquartered in Arlington, Texas, Strike Ten Entertainment is the centralized sponsor-activation arm of the bowling industry. Strike Ten Entertainment serves all organizations of bowling by coordinating the industry's sales and marketing efforts. Strike Ten Entertainment's mission is to increase national awareness of bowling and to assist the bowling industry in developing new bowlers and increasing the frequency of existing bowlers each year through promotions, publicity and industry-wide marketing initiatives.]]>Fri, 31 Jan 2014 13:13:43 GMTfc304bc7-a3f7-4c72-a03c-f81b89e68d40local bowling center.

Let's look at a few reasons why it's a smart choice to go bowling for team building.

Bowling's Competitive -- But Not Overly So

A good team building exercise often has an element of competition, but you don't want things to get too competitive or bad feelings may arise. Bowling is the perfect solution. It's a sport anyone can play regardless of skill level and it's an athletic endeavor that's unlikely to get heated thanks to its laid back, fun vibe.

Bowling's Social

Forming or cultivating social connections is fundamental to team building. When co-workers see one another outside of the office, the fresh context offers a good opportunity to strengthen relationships. Bowling is one of the most social of sports, making it a great choice for team building.

Bowling's Fun

Goofy rituals are part of the charm of any team building exercise, and bowling provides ample opportunity for humor. Team t-shirts, trophies, and novelty awards can all be part of the team building experience. You can create a theme complete with costumes, or even have a post-game awards ceremony. Not to mention the sport itself is fun.

Bowling's Affordable

Dollar for dollar, bowling is one of the best entertainment values around and, in an era of corporate belt-tightening, this is no minor attribute. A group team building excursion to the local bowling center is a smart, cost-conscious way to improve teamwork and morale -- and those are improvements that more than pay for themselves.

Anyone Can Bowl

As long as you can pick up a ball, you can bowl. This minimal barrier to participation makes bowling a great choice for groups of varying physical ability. More importantly, because of its social aspect, bowling is that rare sport that's fun even if you're not very skilled.
Picking the right event is key to hosting a successful team building exercise. Thanks to its reasonable cost and fun, social nature, more than a few teams have bonded through bowling.]]>Thu, 06 Feb 2014 03:01:32 GMT2a05bde6-e7cb-48e9-b44d-e87afdf3e459Find Your Nearest Bowling Center
Let's begin with the basics. Before planning party details, you need to find the right location. Luckily, doing so is as simple as going online. Simply find your nearest bowling center and once that's finished, you can contact the bowling center to ask about possible party rates or packages.

Gather Party Supplies
For a Valentine's Day theme, it's a good idea to bring small themed decorations and wearable items such as pins, t-shirts, and buttons. Since most bowling centers don't lend themselves well to extensive decorating, making an effort to incorporate smaller items will make the party more festive and help people get into the spirit without cluttering the lane much.

Invite Other Couples
A Valentine's Day party is much better with guests. Given the holiday, try inviting other couples. A Valentine's Day-themed invitation, whether electronic or paper, is also a smart option. You can even modify cheap Valentine cards to act as invitations.

Formulate a Game Plan
Instead of scheduling a night of straightforward bowling, consider devising Valentine's Day-related games that can be tied to bowling. For example, bowlers could play a modified version of Truth or Dare -- anyone who rolls a ball into the gutter has to take a turn, while those who throw a strike get a pass. Any game that works well with couples could be adapted to work with this theme.

Focus on the Food
While many bowling centers offer great food and beverage selections, you might want to consider bringing some holiday appropriate snacks. This is where it's okay to be a bit cliche. Chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate pieces, candy hearts, and perhaps some fruits and vegetables are all good choices.
A bowling center might not be a candlelight dinner, but it is a fun, social environment that lends itself well to group interaction. Go bowling this Valentine's Day for a memorable event you won't forget.
]]>Fri, 14 Feb 2014 05:39:07 GMTc6e7da28-265c-4032-9bae-1263cb4fbf55Bowling in the Pre-Modern Era

Bowling's history stretches back thousands of years, all the way to ancient Egypt, where a primitive form of the game was played with stone pins and balls. Similar games were played in Medieval Europe. Though these games involved a round ball being rolled toward other objects, they often bore little resemblance to modern bowling. The number of pins often changed, and both balls and pins were made from objects such as stone or wood. Lanes were often made of dirt, grass, or clay. As the centuries rolled on, the game began to more closely resemble the variations we play today.

Growth of the Modern Game

Bowling in its modern incarnation took shape after European immigrants brought the game to colonial America and Canada. Pin bowling became exceptionally popular in 1800s-era America, although the game still lacked formal rules or a governing body. That changed after the American Bowling Congress was established in New York in 1895. Bowling's rules and equipment were soon standardized, with one variant of the game, ten pin bowling, becoming the dominant form. The introduction of rubber balls soon followed. These changes allowed bowling to enter a period of unprecedented popularity.

The Golden Era

Although uniform rules and mass-produced rubber balls helped drive bowling to new heights, a 1940s-era innovation truly ushered in bowling's golden era of popularity -- the automatic pinsetter. While this technology was bad news for pin boys, who previously had stacked pins by hand, it was great news for bowlers and bowling center owners. Within a few years, bowling was firmly entrenched in the cultural landscape of America. Recreational leagues sprouted everywhere, and professional bowlers began competing on television with regularity.

Bowling today

Bowling continues to be one of the world's most enduring and popular sports with nearly 100 million participants worldwide. The game is a deeply embedded part of American sports culture, and remains as popular as ever with both competitive and recreational players. And, thanks to modern technology, finding a bowling center near you has never been easier.
Bowling has been around for centuries -- go bowling today and discover why bowling will surely be around for centuries to come!]]>Fri, 21 Feb 2014 03:54:00 GMTc3d17c5b-9a48-4a49-a713-6570a1057e19Bowling is better than jogging.

Everyone knows jogging is a great way to keep fit. But let's face it -- unless you live somewhere with year-round mild weather, every jogger ends up battling the elements at some point. Bowlers don't have to worry about sweltering heat or frigid winds, as your local bowling center offers climate controlled fun and exercise.

Bowling is better than golf.

Golf and bowling provide some of the same visceral thrills. Cracking a drive 300 yards down the fairway and throwing a thunderous strike are satisfying in much the same way. Both sports also offer once-in-a-lifetime excitement in the form of a hole-in-one or 300 game. But bowling offers all of this at a fraction of the cost and doesn’t force you to clear your entire afternoon to play, not to mention hefting a bowling ball is much easier than lugging around a set of golf clubs. And - though this is sure to be controversial - we believe The Big Lebowksi is better than Caddyshack.

Bowling is better than softball.

Recreational softball is a game with all of the fun of baseball plus a great social element. Softball league players often bond over their shared love of the game. Bowling leagues also offer players a chance to build relationships and fraternize over competition. There are a couple of differences, though: bowling centers are never rained out, and you don't have to bring your own equipment. Plus, there aren’t any bad calls from grouchy umpires.

Bowling is better than working out at the gym.

Gyms have plenty of benefits, but also some drawbacks, including smelly locker rooms and expensive membership fees. Bowling centers are open to anyone, and it's easy to reserve a lane for hours of uninterrupted fun with friends and family. Also, bowling center nachos and pretzels are way tastier than wheatgrass smoothies.

Bowling is better than roller rinks.

If you're planning a child's party, bowling centers and roller rinks are two classic venues. Both are kid friendly, have snack bars and arcades, and offer some physical activity, but bowling offers kids the opportunity to engage in some friendly competition since bowling has clear-cut rules and scoring. There’s also less worry about injuries -- skating can easily lead to sprains or even broken bones. Even better, bowling is a lifelong hobby. How many adults do you see roller skating?

Given bowling's long history, the first bowling balls were likely stones or other rollable objects. Once the game began to enter the modern age, wooden balls were the preferred equipment. A major shift came in the early 20th century when rubber balls were introduced. It was only a few decades later when plastic balls became the standard, before yielding in turn to modern polyurethane balls in the 1980s. Further refinements came in the form of particle, epoxy, and resin balls, all of which allow the bowler to achieve greater friction, which allow for greater control. Modern regulation balls must weigh no more than 16 pounds, and meet standards for things such as circumference, hardness, diameter, and weight distribution. Despite this, there's surprising diversity from ball to ball. Just a slight redistribution of weight or a particular material makeup can have dramatic effects on performance.

The Subtleties of the Bowling Lane

For years, bowling lanes were typically built with maple or pine wood. Many bowling centers still feature this traditional construction, but synthetic lanes have become more common. Synthetic lanes, typically made from phenols, require less maintenance and are more durable. Both lanes are fairly similar, but switching surfaces can sometimes require adjustments -- many bowlers say wood lanes provide more friction, for example. Friction is important for bowlers, as it affects the motion of the ball and creates angles. Oil is another critical lane variable. Once used strictly for wood preservation, oil is now a major strategic element. Good bowlers must adjust to "dry" or "slick" lane conditions. Even more critically, the oil pattern on any given lane can raise or lower the difficulty of play significantly by altering the speed and trajectory of the ball.

The Plight of the Pinboy and the Rise of the Automatic Pinsetter

In the early 1900s, teenagers looking for extra cash would queue up for the privilege of a night's work as a pinboy. This manual pinsetting work was far from glamorous -- most pin boys hung out in a pit below the rack, and were forced to dodge freshly struck pins, which bounced around unpredictably. Once the pins were struck, the pinboy would scramble to reload the rack and send back the bowler's ball. This job was set on the path to obsolescence by Gottfried Schmidt, who invented the first mechanical pinsetter in 1936. Schmidt's invention was refined and improved over the years, and automatic pinsetting is credited with helping spark America's bowling boom in the 1950s and 1960s.

Bowling is only getting more technologically advanced as methods are fine-tuned, new technologies are introduced, and the game gets ever more competitive. Now that you're sufficiently schooled in the technology of bowling, you can fully appreciate the chemistry and physics involved in every game you bowl. Go find a bowling center near you and unleash some strikes!]]>Thu, 06 Mar 2014 22:07:46 GMTddabb895-1454-49c4-8f38-c29a924bbc4cCandlepin Bowling

Popular in Eastern Canada and Germany, candlepin bowling features some rather dramatic departures from ten-pin bowling. Three balls are thrown per frame rather than two, and any pins knocked down remain there while the player finishes the frame. Ball design is another major difference, as candlepin balls are much smaller and lack holes. The candle-shaped pins are not as large as in ten-pin bowling, making them more difficult to knock down. These factors depress scores considerably -- the highest recorded candlepin score is 245 out of a standard 300, and the record for a three game series is 530. Candlepin rules and scoring are also a bit more complex, as the game uses a "lob line" to mark the point at which a thrown ball must hit the lane, along with other tweaks to the standard scoring system.
If you'd like to try candlepin bowling for yourself, there are a few candlepin bowling centers in the northeast.

Nine-pin Bowling

Most popular in Central European countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Hungary, nine-pin bowling differs from ten-pin in more than just pin count. Like in candlepin bowling, balls without holes are used. The game format is radically different, with nine pins set up in a diamond-shaped pattern. The larger middle pin (sometimes called the kingpin) is colored red and has an enhanced scoring value. Typically teams of six bowlers throw six frames, and bowlers must throw two balls per frame, regardless of the initial frame's outcome. This means bowlers can score 18 points per frame with two strikes, or "nine ringers." If bowlers knock down eight pins and leave the middle pin standing, 12 points are awarded, for a maximum per frame value of 24. Teams do not have to roll in any order, and the team captain may designate individual bowlers for specific throws, making nine-pin a game of specialization, compared to ten-pin bowling.

Close Relatives

Along with closely related cousins like candlepin and nine-pin, there are a variety of bowling-style games played across the world. Italians and other southern Europeans love bocce, a game that involves throwing small spherical balls at a smaller ball, called the "jack." Bocce players score by getting their balls closest to the jack. The game is very similar to lawn bowling, a favorite in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

While these variations are all fun in their own right, nothing can match the simple brilliance of classic ten-pin bowling. Go bowling today by visiting your local bowling center and experience the thrill of seeing ten-pins come crashing down.
]]>Mon, 17 Mar 2014 23:05:43 GMT8574da18-6666-4dd8-b4fb-a041edc0a9b4Saratoga Lanes

Located just outside St. Louis in Maplewood, Missouri, Saratoga Lanes is a marvel of classic bowling center construction. They will celebrate their 100th year in business in 2016, and the center is notable for being one of the few two-story bowling centers left in the Midwest. In fact, if it weren't for its sign, most people passing by likely wouldn't realize the building houses bowling lanes. Patrons enter at street level, then walk upstairs to find eight vintage lanes and a group of billiard tables.

The place has a cozy, intimate feel and retro aesthetic, with classic wood paneling and vintage carpet. Saratoga Lanes is on the National Register of Historic Places and is believed to be one of the oldest bowling centers west of the Mississippi River. If you're looking for a place Jeff Lebowski would be proud to roll in, Saratoga Lanes fits the bill -- as long as you don't manual scoring and a hike up some stairs.

Located at 2725 Sutton Blvd, remember to stop by Saratoga Lanes if you find yourself in St. Louis.
Whether you prefer a vintage or modern look, it's a great time to hit the lanes. Go bowling today by finding your nearest bowling center and make some history of your own. If you're near a historic center, go check it out, then let us know on Facebook or Twitter!]]>Thu, 27 Mar 2014 21:05:47 GMTf4667a34-87c2-4ce9-be41-c264fc1fdccdA Beautifully Simple Game

From the beginning of our recorded history, people have always enjoyed some form of bowling. The first proto-bowling games are traced all the way to the ancient Egyptians, then on through the Roman Empire and later eras. Why have so many different cultures felt the need to roll an object at a group of different objects? Part of the appeal is the elegant simplicity of the game. Rolling a ball is a natural, fundamental motion. Bowling is easily grasped, and the game translates effortlessly between cultures.

Low Barriers to Entry

Sports such as golf, hockey, and softball are certainly fun to play, but each comes with significant barriers to entry. Greens fees and equipment costs make golf too expensive for many. Hockey requires expensive equipment, plus an ice rink and available ice time. Softball requires a large enough group of people to field a team. Bowling is inexpensive, widely available, and fun to play no matter the group size.

Everyone Can Play

Bowling is also all-inclusive, so no one feels left out. Whereas most sports require participants to be in good physical shape and play with people around the same age, bowling allows a mixed group of all sizes, ages, and skill levels. And a mixed group of players might provide some surprises -- bowling is all about technique and skill, so the best bowler could be anyone.

Social Appeal

We live in the era of social networking. But years before the advent of Facebook or Twitter (or for that matter the personal computer), the neighborhood bowling center was the social hub of choice. In many ways, it still is. Whether it's league play, a child's party, or a night out among friends, bowling centers have a social element other sports can't match. This makes bowling more than a sport. For some players, bowling is part of the social glue that bonds people together.

Why not become one of the hundred million people worldwide who make bowling a part of their lives? Find your nearest bowling center and enjoy the timeless game of bowling today.
]]>Fri, 04 Apr 2014 01:35:37 GMTeaac9264-b7ae-45fc-b501-f381d906dbb01. Chris Hardwick

Comedian, TV host, and nerd culture evangelist Chris Hardwick seems to be all over our televisions these days, but you might also find him haunting Los Angeles-area bowling centers. Hardwick, a top junior bowler, has the sport in his blood -- he's the son of PBA Hall of Famer Billy Hardwick. The "Talking Dead" host spreads his love of the sport through his All-Star Celebrity Bowling show, which airs on his premium YouTube channel.

2. Chris Paul

Chris Paul is a playmaker nonpareil on the NBA hardwood, but the L.A. Clippers superstar point guard also has moves on the bowling lane. Paul, whose high score is 256, is a huge bowling enthusiast who sponsors celebrity tournaments for his charitable foundation. Paul loves the sport so much he decided to invest in a PBA team, the Los Angeles X, led by Parker Bohn III and Jason Belmonte.

3. Kevin Hart

Paul isn't the only celebrity with PBA ownership. Hollywood superstar comedian Kevin Hart owns the Bill O'Neill captained Philadelphia Hitmen. Hart has been a regular at charity and celebrity bowling events for years, and is known for his often hilarious commentary during PBA broadcasts.

4. Bill Murray

Just as Murray's Caddyshack left an indelible mark on golf culture, his performance in Kingpin did the same on bowling. Better yet, Murray's performance was grounded in some real-life bowling skill. In the film's climactic bowling competition, Murray's character was required to throw three consecutive strikes -- Murray accomplished the feat without help, to the delighted cheers of the crowd.

5. Michael Conley, Jr.

Chris Paul isn't the only star NBA point guard pulling double duty as a skilled bowler. Michael Conley Jr. is an excellent bowler in his own right, even though his approach is a bit unorthodox. Conley Jr. rotates hands when bowling, often using his right for strikes and his left for spares. It's perhaps not the traditional way to do it, but it hasn't stopped Conley Jr. from racking up some fairly impressive scores on the celebrity bowling circuit.

You don't have to be famous to enjoy the great sport of bowling. All you need to go bowling are a pair of shoes, a ball, and a nearby bowling center. Hit the lanes today and remember to keep an eye out while you're there -- after all, you never know who you might see!
]]>Fri, 11 Apr 2014 02:30:27 GMT39158ac1-4a36-4142-949d-3fdbf8847a5cToby Santoro, at a spry 100-years-old, carries an impressive 149 average. Santoro, who has been bowling for almost eight decades, throws a 14-pound ball and bowls in a weekly league. The strike-rolling centenarian has maintained the quality of his game with age, throwing a 627 series in his early 90s. He has no plans to stop bowling anytime soon.

While Santoro's game is certainly impressive, he's more than matched by Hannah Diem. The Florida nine-year-old is the youngest bowler with a verified 300 game in American history. Diem, who started bowling at a party while in kindergarten, rolled her perfect frames during her regular league night. Her jaw-dropping achievement was noted by the United States Bowling Congress.

Shawn Beam bowls in a wheelchair, which didn't stop him from throwing a 300 game. Beam, who has been in a wheelchair his entire life, has been bowling for more than two decades. According to the American Wheelchair Bowling Association, his 300 game was the first of its kind.

Toby, Hannah, and Shawn are all exceptional bowlers and great examples of how the sport of bowling is accessible to virtually anyone. There are few barriers to entry, and the game is enjoyable no matter your age, size, or physical ability.

Bowling doesn't require multiple players. Bowling doesn't require a large amount of money, or a significant time commitment. All bowling requires is a lane, a ball, a pair of shoes -- and you.

]]>Wed, 23 Apr 2014 01:16:27 GMT60d0d398-4b04-4a57-ad70-731292d0f529Bowlin' With Sasquatch sweepstakes winner can invite 23 friends along for this one-of-a-kind event. The party includes free bowling, free use of equipment, and free food and beverages. The winner also won't have to worry about sharing food with the always ravenous Sasquatch, as he subsists strictly on a diet of beef jerky and mineral water.

There are a few easy ways to enter the contest. You can visit GoBowling's Facebook page and fill out an entry form, do the same at GoBowling's website, or use your mobile phone to text SASBOWL to 66937 (message and data rates may apply).

After all, you wouldn't want to give Sasquatch anything but your best game.]]>Thu, 01 May 2014 04:24:22 GMT1b4b87c8-e687-4cd3-b3ec-ece4de33ef62The Evolution of Bowling Style

Bowling wear was once a significant part of the American fashion landscape. During the 1950s, men sporting the "rockabilly" look would wear custom bowling shirts and bowling jackets to places far beyond the local lanes. Women agonized over finding the most flattering bowling dress, to ensure they looked phenomenal when spending an evening at the lanes. The social component of bowling made looking good almost as important as playing well.

These days, people are a bit more casual about bowling attire. That doesn't mean that bowling style has gone out of fashion. There are a variety of apparel companies specializing in bowling clothes with definite lane appeal.

All About the Shoes

Bowling's most recognizable piece of equipment, aside from the ball itself, is the bowling shoe. Specially designed for the lane, the bowling shoe possesses a unique aesthetic that sets it apart from other footwear.
With a wide variety of colors and patterns, bowling shoes are perhaps the easiest way to set yourself apart when you visit a bowling center.

If you find yourself frequenting the lanes, skip the shoe rental and purchase your own pair to suit your tastes.

Charlie Harper: Fashion Icon

For men, one of the most popular modern bowling looks is the "Charlie Harper," popularized by Charlie Sheen on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. The "Harper" is perhaps the signature look for modern bowling shirts, with virtually every bowling apparel seller offering a twist on the look.

Daddy-Os, a top retro apparel retailer, sells this style in four colors. The company also sells shirts with a more vintage design: classic work shirts, diamond-patterned bowling shirts, and silk button-ups.

Another online retailer, bowlingshirt.com, offers a large variety of modern bowling looks. Here you can buy from major bowling shirt makers such as DaVinci (creator of the Harper) and Hilton Apparel. If something a bit more understated is to your taste, classic polo shirts are also popular.

While Bowlingconcepts.com stocks the ubiquitous Harper for men, it also offers attractive options for ladies of the lanes. Along with retro designs and clean-cut polo looks, the company offers durable, stylish, high-performance bowling shirts similar to what many professionals wear.

A Mix of New and Old

While bowling style remains grounded in the past, it also has plenty to offer those looking for sharp, clean, modern designs. The bowling lane might not be a fashion runway, but looking good means feeling good -- and feeling good means a better bowling game for everyone.

Once you're decked out in the latest fashions, head for the nearest bowling center and show everyone how to throw strikes in style.]]>Wed, 14 May 2014 03:51:01 GMT08de0439-da88-474b-89f3-13c835d4f8edHow Lebowski Fest got started

Lebowski Fest began just four years after the release of the now iconic film. The two-day celebration of all things "Dude" began in Louisville, but now travels from city to city. Over the years it's been staged in Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, Austin, and even London. Lebowski Fest has helped reinforce the film's enduring cult status by drawing new fans into the fold. The festival has even spawned its own film, a documentary called The Achievers -- a nickname Lebowski Fest fans have taken as their own.

Achievers are known for their remarkable zeal when it comes to creating costumes. Some will scour e-Bay searching for the precise sweater Jeff Lebowski wears in the film, or attempt to find a lookalike bowlng ball. During the festival, Achievers participate in Big Lebowski themed bowling, costume, and trivia contests, while enjoying the cameradarie of other film fanatics.

The Dude Abides at Lebowski Fest 2014

This year's Lebowksi Fest was perhaps the most exciting yet, thanks to an appearance by a certain shaggy-haired, Eagles-loving, high priest of California slackerdom -- or at least the actor who played him. Jeff Bridges, surrounded by dozens of fans dressed as his famous character, thrilled the crowd with a musical performance on the festival's first evening. The actor then appeared at the Lebowski Fest Bowling Party at Fountain Bowl in Los Angeles the following day, capping off an exciting two-day celebration of all things Lebowski.

If you've ever golfed, jogged, or pitched horseshoes on a sweltering and sticky day, you know that miserable weather conditions greatly diminish your enjoyment of favorite summertime activities. In fact, dealing with oppressive heat is often dangerous, especially if you don't stay properly hydrated. Bowlers don't worry about any of this. Bowling centers offer climate-controlled entertainment all year long, granting players a cool respite from searing hot seasonal temperatures.

Bowling keeps school-aged kids engaged during vacation.

Every child looks forward to summer vacation, but they need something constructive to do with all that time off. Bowling makes a great choice. It helps kids stay active, it teaches them about cooperation and competition, and it helps build self-confidence through athletic achievement. Bowling during the summer also serves another purpose: it allows kids to stay in touch with friends during the school break, making sure the social bonds between them stay strong.

Pools are expensive. Bowling is not.

Pools are a popular summer diversion, but they have significant drawbacks. Building your own pool is expensive and most residential pools require near-constant maintenance. Public pools are a lesser commitment, but are often overcrowded and overpriced. Bowling is inexpensive summertime fun and you won't need a towel or an extra change of clothes.
Summertime activities are all about fun with family and friends -- and bowling is the perfect sport for this time of year.

Visit your nearest bowling center and get ready to enjoy some of the best days of your summer.
]]>Mon, 02 Jun 2014 21:42:06 GMTa8169046-ab06-4829-83a1-90b93304e3a8
The CMA Music Festival books a huge variety of acts, with more than 400 performers taking part in this year's event.

This year's festival featured some of country music's biggest heroes and a new group of rising stars. Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, Luke Bryan, and Tim McGraw were just of few of the chart-topping acts taking the stage.

Natalie Stovall and the Drive love to #GoBowling!

Popular legacy acts such as Travis Tritt and Charlie Daniels provided the crowd with a window into country music's classic past. A new crop of exciting talent, led by Charlie Worsham and Sam Hunt, thrilled festival crowds with their fresh take on the country sound.

So what could possibly make the 2014 CMA Music Festival even better? One word: bowling.
GoBowling.com partnered with Brunswick Bowling and XBowling to make the sport part of the CMA Music Festival experience. Lanes were constructed inside the AT&T U-Verse Fan Fair X, allowing celebrities and country music fans the chance to sharpen their bowling skills together. More than 80,000 country music fans visited over the 4 day event.

Fans of country music got to rub shoulders -- and bowl strikes -- with some of the genre's hottest stars. Participants included Lone Star, Natalie Stovall, George Ducas, David Shelby, Mark Wills, Trent Tomlinson, and many more.

Lonestar bowling it up at the CMA’s!

Fans who visited the XBowling / GoBowling.com / Brunswick lanes got a tutorial on XBowling and for those that downloaded the app, they were entered into a drawing to win valuable concert ticket prizes.
GoBowling.com distributed entry cards for it's $1,000 Selfie Makeover Sweepstakes and hundreds of fans took advantage of the opportunity to shoot a CMA Selfie and enter.

Natalie Stovall and the Drive love to #GoBowling!

Intrigued by the idea of bowling a few frames with country music royalty? Get prepared for next year's event by firing a few strikes at your local bowling center today.
]]>Fri, 27 Jun 2014 02:02:32 GMT1748d6a7-492a-4ea4-82d8-7f759d3cb72e
So when you're ready for a vacation from your vacation, remember one thing: bowling is always in season.
No matter how far flung your travels, GoBowling's find a bowling center feature allows you to find a local lane. Bowling fans just need to punch in their current zip code to search for nearby bowling centers. In a matter of seconds, a list of results will appear showing names, addresses, and approximate distances for every bowling center within your area.

Just like that, you're just a short trip away from summertime bowling nirvana. With such easy access to a lane, there's no excuse to let your game atrophy while you're away from your home turf.

Planning a vacation this summer? Make sure you keep your bowling game sharp by visiting gobowling.com's find a bowling center feature.

After all, who wants to take a vacation from the greatest sport in the world?
]]>Sat, 28 Jun 2014 15:29:51 GMT90570bda-c51f-4e32-87f9-0c5e52513e62
The result of the collaboration was a six minute video showing Belmonte making an insanely difficult series of bowling shots. These shots include:

The world's longest strike, a shot where Belmonte lands a strike after throwing his ball hundreds of feet across the length of a massive bowling alley.

A series of incredibly difficult strikes thrown in an emply skate park. Belmonte's ball rides up, down, and around the skate park walls before connecting solidly with pins in the far distance.

A jump shot where Belmonte picks up a spare in an adjoining lane by making his ball jump across the ball return.

Hurling a bowling ball over a wall of 12 stacked pins -- then landing a beautiful strike.

While Belmonte's head-shakingly difficult shots may seem too good to be true, all of them are just as real as his 14 career 300 games.

The viral video, which was uploaded on June 2, already has more than five million views.

Feeling inspired by Jason Belmonte's repertoire of jaw-dropping trick shots? Visit gobowling.com to find your nearest bowling center -- and start dazzling some crowds of your own.
]]>Tue, 08 Jul 2014 23:32:46 GMT2df116e9-65ac-461f-bec3-d642cf162e98
Challenges include games such as "beat your average" and "pick your score." Users can also go head to head against others. Novice bowlers can join in the fun as well, as the XBowling app has a handicap system that equalizes games in order to ensure fair competition.

XBowling also hosts special events where members of the community can compete for special prizes, including celebrity experiences.

The XBowling app has Facebook integration, allowing users to invite their friends to join the fun. The app also allows users to sign up via e-mail. XBowling is compatible with Android and iOS and is available for download at both iTunes and Google Play.

While bowling has always been a social sport, XBowling takes that social element to an entirely new level. The app harnesses the power of social networks to give users something fresh and exciting -- an online community full of challenges, competition, and friendly bonding over the great sport of bowling.

When we think about classic bowling culture, we often picture the industrial midwest. During bowling's peak popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, midwestern cities were crazy about bowling. St. Louis, which is home to a variety of vintage and modern bowling centers, was also the first home of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. While the Hall of Fame relocated to Texas a few years ago, bowling remains very popular in the Gateway City. St. Louis is also the hometown of one of bowling's singular talents - PBA superstar Pete Weber.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Winter in Minnesota is no joke, so climate-contolled entertainment is always in demand. That's part of the reason why Minneapolis is home to so many great bowling alleys. Bowling is extremely popular up north -- the Minneapolis area is home to almost two dozen bowling centers. That's more than double the total of St. Louis, a metro area of comparable size with deep bowling roots.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Perhaps no city is more closely linked with bowling than Milwaukee. Thanks to an influx of bowling-loving German immigrants, the sport has been exceedingly popular in the city for more than a century. So popular, in fact, that at one time one sixth of all Milwaukee residents bowled in a league. Today Milwaukee is home to some of the oldest and most historic bowling centers in America -- some of which are more than 100 years old.

Feel like helping your city become the next bowling hotspot? Visit www.gobowling.com today and find your nearest bowling center.
]]>Tue, 22 Jul 2014 03:05:22 GMT31dd32ff-d40f-404d-93e9-bc4125b31d32LONG POND, PA (August 4, 2014) – This weekend, two of America’s great past times, racing and bowling, came together as GoBowling.com served as title sponsor for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. The race was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr, his third victory of the season and the 21st of his career, and his first season sweep at a track since Talladega Superspeedway in 2002.

The race honored both the GoBowling.com 400 and the 40th anniversary of the raceway's first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event where Richard Petty drove the STP Oil Treatment car and became the inaugural winner of the Pennsylvania 500 on August 4, 1974. To celebrate the moment, Petty returned to Pocono Raceway to serve as Grand Marshal. Additionally, in a tribute to both the great sport of bowling and Petty himself, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM)'s Aric Almirola drove the No. 43 Ford Fusion, which featured an eye catching bowling themed paint scheme and GoBowling.com branding.

“This weekend was a deeply meaningful opportunity to relive the excitement of that first victory at the Pocono Raceway in 1974,” said Petty. “This was a weekend of fun and excitement, and also an opportunity to shine attention on two great sports that bring people together, create wonderful memories, and are Americana at its best – racing and bowling.”

For the second consecutive year, the race was renamed the GoBowling.com 400 and featured the branded GoBowling.com No. 43 Ford Fusion. Additionally, Pocono Raceway, RPM and Strike Ten Entertainment initiated a multi-layered integrated marketing campaign that spanned traditional, digital and social channels, and included event activations.

“The incredible resurgence in popularity that bowling has seen in recent years is reflected in the success of the GoBowling.com 400,” said John Harbuck, Interim President of Strike Ten Entertainment. “We were thrilled to once again partner with the great teams at Pocono Raceway and Richard Petty Motorsports, and I’m proud to say that we set the bar even higher with this year’s race.”

The partnership program also included a series of GoBowling.com themed bowling league promotional contests and in-center marketing elements, as well as other initiatives that were rolled out across thousands of participating bowling centers.

GoBowling.com is the website to visit to learn more about the great sport of bowling including information about 2,100+ bowling centers throughout the country. Fans can learn about their local bowling centers, promotional offers, bowling tips and more.

About GoBowling.com
GoBowling.com is the destination for bowling fans and enthusiasts seeking news and information about one of America’s favorite pastimes and the nation’s number one participatory sport. With more than 71 million people taking to the lanes every year, GoBowling.com is a one-stop location where people of all ages can go to satisfy their love of bowling. Consumers turn to GoBowling.com every day to find bowling fun – discovering new bowling centers, tips and tricks to use on the lanes, event news and great deals at more than 2,100+ family-friendly bowling centers across the country.About Strike Ten Entertainment
Headquartered in Arlington, Texas, Strike Ten Entertainment is the centralized sponsor-activation arm of the bowling industry. Strike Ten Entertainment serves all organizations of bowling by coordinating the industry’s sales and marketing efforts. Strike Ten Entertainment’s mission is to increase national awareness of bowling and to assist the bowling industry in developing new bowlers and increasing the frequency of existing bowlers each year through promotions, publicity and industry-wide marketing initiatives.About Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway, also known as “The Tricky Triangle,” is family-owned and situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. In business for over 50 years, the Raceway hosts multiple, national motorsports events including two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, one Verizon IndyCar Series, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, two ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and one Indy Lights Series presented by Cooper Tires events each year. The Raceway has added multiple running series events to their annual schedule including the Tough Mudder and the Warrior Dash. Pocono Raceway is the world’s largest solar-powered sports facility with a 25-acre, three-megawatt solar farm providing the energy needs of the Raceway, as well as, adding electricity to the local power grid. For more information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force, STP, Strike Ten Entertainment and Fresh From Florida, and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners STANLEY, DEWALT, Mac Tools and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.]]>Tue, 05 Aug 2014 00:35:40 GMT421527c9-6b37-4d92-b9ad-b0e0e08987b7
Let's examine a few easy ways to boost your strike percentage.

Find the right ball

If you're not using proper equipment, you're already at a significant disadvantage. Find a ball that fits your hand properly. Make sure the holes aren't too loose or tight. Use the heaviest ball you can throw effectively. Using a ball that's too light or heavy has a negative impact on accuracy.

Targeting the pins

It's important to make full use of the targeting arrows on the lane. You'll see them 15 feet past the foul line. After aligning your feet with the center arrow, aim between the second and third arrow on your dominant ball hand. Failure to use these arrows effectively is one of most common mistakes rookie bowlers make.

Use consistent form and motion

When throwing the ball, it's key to use consistent and repeatable mechanics. Hold the ball with your elbow cocked at an angle and your non-dominant hand on top. Move toward the line at a steady pace with your knees bent. Keep your shoulders parallel and your arm straight. Use a free and easy motion with a clean follow through, sliding on your final step. You can also add spin by rotating your hand as you prepare to release the ball.

Tinker with your approach

Once you have the basics mastered, feel free to adjust variables such as grip, ball speed or starting position. Sometimes small adjustments can have dramatic impact.
Oh, and one last thing -- when your ball explodes through the pins for a beautiful strike, act like you expected nothing less. A good bowler is a confident bowler.
Feel like heading out and putting these tips into practice? Visit www.gobowling.com to find the lane nearest you.
]]>Thu, 07 Aug 2014 02:37:57 GMT4d9c2e34-e86d-423d-83f0-188426d36c88
Behind those sunglasses, a design caught Petty's eye. Yes, fans from kids to seniors had seats in the section labeled the Richard Petty 200 Victory Circle. The words were flanked by two images of Petty in his feathered Stetson hat and dark glasses.

"Well, look at that," Petty said, eyes fixed on the sign. "I didn't know that. That's the first time I ever paid attention."

Petty had no idea some of the best seats in the house had long been named in his honor.
But you don't need to sit in a pricey suite to know The King.

Long removed from his era as perhaps the greatest driver in NASCAR history, Petty sill serves as an ambassador, corporate pitchman and team owner in the sport he's called home since he was a boy. Now 77, Petty shows no signs of easing off the gas as he bounds around the track, all in the name of good business and giving back to the sport that helped make him a household name.

"I'm just idling along, trying to keep up with what they want me to do," Petty said.

There are few fans at the track these days who even remember Petty from his final season in 1992. It doesn't matter. Petty is still an A-lister around the garage, a bigger star than drivers on his race team or even the rest of the field for a Sprint Cup race.

Petty commanded a crowd during an appearance at a makeshift bowling alley set up inside a fan zone at Pocono by sponsor GoBowling.com.

On his first roll, he knocked down three pins.

"That wasn't too good," he said.

With fans snapping pictures, Petty left no pin standing on his second attempt.

"I got a spare anyway," he said, smiling.

After bowling another quick frame, it's time for Petty to split, but not before he has to pilot his way through a clog of autograph hounds who want just one autograph, one photo, from the driver who has had to have signed and posed more than anyone in NASCAR history.

"He's got a crazy life. He can't go nowhere," one fan remarked.

It's a circus life Petty would never trade for weekends at home, certainly not after his fame got fresh juice when he voiced Strip "The King" Weathers in the 2006 hit movie "Cars." Petty is warmly greeted by children in awe of the man they only know as the voice in a cartoon, not the seven-time NASCAR champion who won a record 200 races. Kids address the man in the hat as "Mr. The King." He recalled a time in England when a boy approached and asked how many times he won the Piston Cup. The Piston Cup, of course, was the championship awarded to those frisky cars from the movie.

Petty's true home is among the drivers, crew and fans that surround him at tracks from Daytona to Dover. He skipped a month this season because of the March death of his wife, Lynda, from cancer. The Pettys were married for almost six decades.

"Coming back to the racing blanked out some of the bad parts that I was having," Petty said. "It was easier for me to get back. Instead of starting a new routine, I stayed in the same one. It's just a little bit different."
Petty has pushed past the pain and found comfort at the track. It's always been the spot where he could be himself and hang up his hat — in his case, a Charlie 1 cowboy hat with a tuft of feathers in the front. Petty started wearing the hats around 1979 when he struck a deal with a manufacturer who sold them at a store operated by son Kyle Petty. Richard Petty wasn't just trying to create an iconic fashion statement; he'd just grown weary of worrying he'd offend the wrong sponsor with the standard baseball cap most drivers wear around the track.

"I just really liked them because it was different," he said.

Petty's matted hair had a few stray curls when he removed the hat and sunglasses during a chat in his motorhome. He did wear a baseball cap under his headset when he stood atop an RPM hauler and had a bird's-eye-view for last Sunday's race. Petty was the lone figure standing on any of the 43 haulers, keeping tabs on the race through a scoring monitor and a close eye on the cars when they whizzed past the start/finish line a few hundred feet away.
Petty wouldn't want to miss out on a resurgent season at Richard Petty Motorsports. RPM has driver Aric Almirola locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field because of his July win at Daytona. There's a chance RPM could have two drivers competing for the championship should Marcos Ambrose win a race, and he's a good bet at this week's stop at the road course in Watkins Glen.

Petty said the financial health and overall outlook at RPM is "as good as it's even been," though that could change a bit if Ambrose bolts the organization for a ride in Australia's V8 Supercar Series. Petty said the team was waiting to hear from Ambrose on what he'd like to do next season.

Petty isn't ready to wave goodbye to NASCAR, not by a long shot.

He's as much a fixture in the sport as Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who are still driving. Petty is NASCAR's walking Hall of Fame, synonymous with the sport, and along for the ride every mile along the way from its southern roots to its $8.2 billion TV deal.

For beginning bowlers this might sound counterintuitive. But the ultimate success or failure of your throw is largely determined before the ball leaves your hand. You need proper footwork, mechanics, timing, balance and form to succeed. Without them, your odds of becoming a great bowler are about the same as you picking up the dreaded 7-10 split blindfolded.

Experiment with equipment

Finding the right ball is like finding a great friend -- they aren't always easy to find, but when you do, you tend to hold on to them. A good ball should fit your hand properly, feel comfortable and perform well. Feel free to experiment with different weights or build materials in your quest to find the perfect fit. It also makes sense to consider adjusting other equipment, such as shoes or gloves. You never know what might give you that extra edge.

Devise and follow a routine

If you're just firing balls down the lane aimlessly, you won't get much return on the time and effort you're investing. Identify the weakest areas of your game and work on them in sequences. It's also a good idea to keep your practice sessions short and frequent. Practicing for several hours once in awhile is a recipe for burnout. By working in shorter, more frequent bursts, it's easier to improve quickly and track your progress.

Don't worry about your score

Practice is a time to work on your fundamentals -- it's not a time to worry about missing an easy spare. Avoid the temptation to keep score. That way you can keep your focus entirely on the process, rather than the result.
Inspired by all this talk of practice? Visit www.gobowling.com to find your nearest bowling center.

With a bit of hard work and patience, you'll be setting new high scores in no time.
]]>Sun, 17 Aug 2014 04:38:47 GMT2682a784-ecfa-4f89-b320-a3d7c5b41337Bowling is budget friendly

Students don't always have a lot of disposable income, so affordability is a concern when it comes to activities. Bowling provides hours of entertainment -- at an extremely reasonable cost.

Bowling helps make friends

There are few -- if any -- sports more social than bowling. Joining a few of your friends on the lane is a guaranteed good time. It doesn't matter if you're a gutter ball collector or a strike throwing pro -- bowling is always a great way to spend the day laughing with friends.

Bowling is cool and comfortable

The beginning of school coincides with the end of summer. Why swelter outside when you can enjoy climate-controlled fun inside your local bowling center?

Bowling builds self-confidence

If you practice after school regularly, your bowling game will almost certainly reach new heights. The sense of satisfaction and fulfillment you'll feel may carry over to the classroom. Good practice habits and determination will help you succeed in both sporting and academic environments.

Does the end of summer have you singing the blues? Cheer up with an afternoon at the lanes. Visit www.gobowling.com to find your nearest bowling center.
]]>Mon, 01 Sep 2014 21:37:08 GMT386cfece-1e5d-4493-94e5-69d52179621fFind your nearest bowling center

A bowling party just isn’t a bowling party without bowling. As anyone who’s thrown a party knows, finding and securing the venue for your party is the first step in the party planning process – once you’ve got that locked down, the rest will follow. Visit GoBowling.com today to find your nearest bowling center.

Intrigue them with invitations

Whether you choose to use digital invitations or old-fashioned paper, it's smart to select something personalized with an appropriate theme. If you use paper, you can add bowling stickers or even create pin-shaped invites. By going the extra mile with invitations, you send a subtle message to your guests that your party is going to thoughtfully executed and fun.

Make sure everybody (or at least somebody) is a winner

If you bowl a fantastic game, it's nice to have some tangible evidence of your success. Consider buying a bowling trophy to liven up the party with a bit of friendly competition. If you're throwing a child's birthday party, you can buy small and inexpensive participation trophies for everyone in attendance.

For an adult party or a corporate event, consider buying something more substantial -- perhaps a large, engraved trophy for the party's best bowler. Providing a goal to aim for is likely to ramp up enthusiasm among your guests.

Don't strike out when it comes to food and drink

If you're looking for wow factor, look no further than a cake designed to look like a bowling ball or bowling pin. If you're looking for something easier, many bowling centers have great food and drink options. If your bowling-themed party is going to be at home (or if you'd like to bring food with you), you might consider serving updated takes on the classic American food usually found at bowling centers.

Give guests something to take home

Sending guests home with a memento is a great way to ensure they remember your party fondly. Giving away items such as bowling party t-shirts, keychains and pens is a good way to send everyone home with a token of your appreciation.

Ready to swap your party planning shoes for bowling shoes? Visit GoBowling.com to find the perfect spot.
]]>Wed, 17 Sep 2014 22:02:01 GMT238079d2-28a4-4f23-9f1f-519bc87d9b19
For those who have yet to bowl their first strike, there's no reason to delay. Bowling is the world's number one recreational sport for a reason -- several reasons actually.

Bowling is easy to learn

A few decades ago, scoring a bowling game may have presented a minor challenge for newbies. These days, automated scoring has made the sport of bowling easy enough for even the smallest child to learn. It's elegant in its simplicity.

Bowling has minimal barriers to entry

You don't need to own shoes, a shirt or even a ball to get started. You can rent shoes at your local bowling center and use one of the many house balls on hand.

Bowling is great fun -- even if you're not a great player

Regardless of skill level, bowling is a blast. The worst player in the bowling center can have just as much fun as the strike-making machine bowling one lane over.

Feeling inspired to go learn the game of bowling? Well, there's good news: you don't have to wait until October! Just visit www.gobowling.com and search for your nearest bowling center. When you're there, make sure to inquire about professional lessons -- most bowling centers are more than happy to provide you with formal lessons if there's a professional instructor on staff.

We're betting it will be the start a long and enjoyable relationship.
]]>Sun, 05 Oct 2014 23:42:06 GMTb7b09766-95fa-4289-a606-69d8f36afcd3
Let's face it -- everyone loves bowling. But while the occasional game is always a great time, league play is something special.

Let's look at five of the best reasons to join a league.

Your game will thank you

If you'd like to improve your game quickly, there's no better way than playing in a competitive league. While practice will certainly improve your game, there's no substitute for bowling under game conditions. Not only will a league provide you with plenty of repetitions, you'll get to rub shoulders with people who take their bowling game seriously -- and ask them for hard-earned advice.

You'll earn the right to wear an amazing shirt

When it comes to vintage fashion, bowling shirts are about as hot as it gets. Joining a league means you get to don your team's custom shirt -- a sign to bowlers everywhere that you're serious about the craft.

You'll be in good company

Bowling is the world's most popular recreational sport. That means there are plenty of great places to bowl and lots of leagues to join. Whatever your schedule, it's a good bet there's a league out there to accommodate you.

It's good exercise

League bowling isn't quite the same as running a marathon. For one thing, bowling is way more fun. But even though it's not a cardio killer, league bowling is a great way to supplement your normal exercise routine. It builds strength and burns calories.

You'll make great new friends

Bowling leagues are full of camaraderie and friendship. If you're looking for a fun social activity that might earn you a few friends for life, look no further than league night at your local lane.

]]>Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:21:29 GMT654cd669-e403-4bc0-96d4-47f615c42b7d
Two things have been proliferating like crazy lately: leaves on the ground and pumpkin-flavored food and beverages on store shelves.

Unlike most of us, Pin Man, everybody's favorite bowling pin-shaped mascot, doesn't have to agonize over the perfect party costume this year. That's because you're going to help make the perfect choice for him. By visiting GoBowling.com's Facebook page, you can choose between several eye-catching costumes for Pin Man. The choices include a vampire, a snazzy TV anchorman and a 1960s-era costume that would have fit right in at Woodstock.

If your choice is the winner, you become eligible for the grand prize -- a bowling party for you and 20 of your closest friends, with snacks and games provided all night long. Now that's a recipe for a happy Halloween.

The rules are simple: one grand prize winner will be selected at random from the pool of voters who pick the winning costume. As a bonus, you can enter multiple times and pick as many costumes as you'd like, though you may only enter once every 24 hours.

Hurry up and get your vote in, because the contest ends on Halloween. The grand prize winner will be announced a few days later.

After all, bowling is great way to burn off all those pumpkin-flavored treats.

]]>Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:52:52 GMT39021431-f135-432f-9585-62fec5b3e587
Now that Halloween's upon us, it's the time of year for tricks and treats. While we can't help you with new jokes or costume ideas, we've got the tricks covered.

Bowling alley tricks, at least. Here are a few of our best tricks and tips to get your bowling game in high gear.

Come equipped

You've heard the phrase "a poor craftsman blames his tools," right? Well, let's stick up for the poor craftsman for a minute. Much like you won't hit beautiful 300-yard drives using a stock driver at the range, you won't always bowl well if you're using equipment that doesn't suit you. Find a ball that isn't too heavy or too light and fits your hand properly. And if you feel like owning your own bowling shoes or shirt will improve your game -- hey, it can't hurt.

Aim for accuracy

Many beginning bowlers rush toward the line then fire the ball with little thought as to where it's headed. That's a recipe for a lot of gutter action and ugly splits. Luckily, there's an easy way to avoid that mess. In fact, it's so easy it's basically staring you in face -- as long as you look down. We're talking about arrows. The arrows are there to help you line up and target properly. Use them to their fullest effect, and your game may take a quantum leap forward.

Don't strive for perfection

This may sound counterintuitive -- after all, one of the holy grails of sports is the fabled perfect 300 game. But trying to make and replicate the perfect shot is a fool's errand. Bowling is a game of minimizing errors, not chasing perfection. By polishing your fundamentals, practicing regularly and keeping a positive frame of mind, you might get close to 300 sooner than expected.

Feeling like breaking out a few new tricks of your own? Visit www.GoBowling.com to find the lane nearest you.

]]>Mon, 03 Nov 2014 18:39:25 GMTe52b775d-9855-44de-b8b3-ae2b4afc073c
November is back, and we all know what that means: turkey dinners, beautiful autumn leaves and the beginning of a manic, month-long holiday shopping season. And unless you're rolling in the dough, it's always nice to have a bit of extra cash when Black Friday rolls around.

While we can't help you beat the holiday shopping crowds, GoBowling.com would like to help you prepare for your holiday gift buying spree by offering a chance to win some fast cash. Our It's Turkey Time sweepstakes gives contestants a chance to win a cool $500 to spend on whatever strikes their fancy -- be it a big screen TV, a party for friends, or a series of bowling lessons.

Entering the contest is simple. As long as you're 18 or older, you just have to visit GoBowling.com's sweepstakes website and enter your name, birthday, e-mail address, and phone number. Contestants may also enter by visiting GoBowling.com's Facebook page. However you choose to do it, entering the contest is a snap -- and a small price to pay for a chance to win big.

Contestants may enter the contest all the way until Nov. 30 and submit up to one entry per 24 hour period. The grand prize winner will be selected at a random drawing on Dec. 1 -- just in time to do some serious holiday shopping.

If you'd like to surprise a family member or loved one with an unexpectedly nice gift this year, why not give the sweepstakes a shot? It only takes a few seconds to enter, and the contest is absolutely free.

After you enter, why not beat the fall chill by bowling a few frames at your local lanes? Visit www.gobowling.com to find the bowling center nearest you.

]]>Tue, 11 Nov 2014 19:14:41 GMTcd97e170-27ce-4874-a4a9-197e48358022
It's that time of year again -- long shopping lines, turkey dinners, chestnuts roasting by the open fire, and 24/7 Christmas carols on the radio.

There's one more happy holiday tradition we'd like to see you adopt, however: a festive night at the bowling center.

Let's look at a few reasons why bowling and the holidays are a winning combination.

Bowling lanes are open!

Let's start with the primary reason bowling is tailor-made for the holidays -- unlike the vast majority of businesses, many bowling centers are open and ready to entertain you. When holidays such as Christmas roll around, you often won't find much to do if you venture outside the home. So if you can't take any more caroling -- or listening to Uncle Frank ramble on about the "good old days" -- consider taking a trip to the nearest lane. It might be the start of an exciting new holiday tradition -- and it certainly beats watching "It's A Wonderful Life" for the 15th year in a row.

Bowling lanes are warm and inviting!

Holiday weather can be terribly chilly in some parts of the country, but your local bowling center always offers climate-controlled fun. Unlike other sports that are weather dependent, you can enjoy a game of bowling whenever the mood strikes. It's also a great way to get your kids some much-needed exercise during the cold months.

Bowling makes a fantastic gift

Let's face it: your father is probably tired of receiving golf balls or a tie every year, and your mom can only carry around so many gift cards. So why not get them something that will put a smile on their faces? A gift certificate to your local bowling lane is a great stocking stuffer not just for mom and dad, but for pretty much anyone who likes to have fun.

Feel like ringing in the holidays with a series of strikes? Visit GoBowling to find the lane nearest you. There's nothing like a great game of bowling to help you spread warm tidings and good cheer.

]]>Mon, 17 Nov 2014 22:45:57 GMTed42aff9-069d-4c93-aa90-a8713afe5842
The Super Bowl is the closest thing we have to a national sports holiday. Last year, 111 million viewers gathered around the TV to watch the underdog Seattle Seahawks dismantle the powerful Denver Broncos.

This year's game, which will be played in Glendale, Arizona, promises to be another world-class sports spectacle. While the high price and limited availability of tickets might make attending the Super Bowl seem like a dream, GoBowling.com and Pepsi are combining forces to make that very scenario a reality for one lucky fan.

The winner of the "Score a Trip to the Super Bowl" sweepstakes will receive a VIP trip to Glendale to attend the big game on Feb. 1, 2015. The winner will be allowed to travel with one guest and will be provided with hotel accommodations for four nights, transportation, two tickets to Super Bowl XLIX and $250 to spend on hot dogs, souvenirs or anything else that strikes your fancy.

In order to win, you just need to buy a specially-marked 44-ounce Pepsi at a participating bowling center to receive a code. That code may be entered online for a chance to win the grand prize.

In addition to tickets to the Super Bowl, the sweepstakes also offers a variety of great daily prizes, such as HDTVs, gaming consoles, $100 gift cards and tablet computers. In order to win, you must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the United States.

With a little luck you might be enjoying your next cold Pepsi from the stands at Super Bowl XLIX.

]]>Wed, 26 Nov 2014 22:20:06 GMT2fbec0cf-13b7-481b-b519-0581b08c9715
The holiday season brings a variety of delights: seasonal treats like eggnog, beautiful light displays, and the joy of giving and receiving gifts.

There's something else that goes hand in hand with this time of year: parties. Lots and lots of parties. And whether it's an official holiday celebration or just a casual get together with friends, you can't have a great party without a perfect setting.

With that in mind, let's look at a few reasons why your local bowling center makes a fantastic festive season celebration spot.

Bowling is beloved by young and old

Let's face it -- kids today aren't too fond of shuffleboard or darts.You also won't find too many grandparents living it up at the arcade or on the paintball field, but everybody loves bowling. It's a sport that easily crosses generational lines, which makes it a great choice for holiday get-togethers. It's a compelling compromise activity for hard-to-please teens and smaller kids. When you bowl, you can bring the whole family, and the oldest member will have just as much fun as the youngest.

Holiday bowling parties allow you to get creative

Whether you're hanging mistletoe, decking the halls with boughs of holly, or just unboxing ornaments, decorating is one of the great things about the holiday season. Much like at home, you can use that creative spark when planning a holiday bowling party. You can bring holiday-themed treats, blow up red and white balloons, set up a tiny tree, or play holiday music -- the list is nearly endless. If you're really ambitious, you might want to consider scheduling an appearance by a certain jolly bearded man in a red jumpsuit -- though he may have to borrow some bowling shoes.

Bowling centers are a great deal

Bowling centers are known for flexible holiday schedules. Many also run holiday party specials, making them a great, economical choice for festive celebrations. After all, the more money you save, the more money you have to spend on gifts.

Feel like scheduling the holiday party of the century? Visit www.gobowling.com and find the center nearest you.

]]>Thu, 04 Dec 2014 22:05:41 GMT06294e9d-4d69-4be9-b1dd-0a5f19a7a7fc
New Year's celebrations are sometimes so highly anticipated they can end up being a bit stressful or even anti-climactic -- after all, who wants to be known as the person who threw a boring party? But there's one way to guarantee everybody has a great time this holiday -- book a New Year's party at your local bowling center.

Let's check out a few reasons why bowling makes a great New Year's party.

It's a great deal

As anyone who has celebrated New Year's at a favorite bar or restaurant can attest, prices often rise with demand. So why pay an exorbitant fee to have fun? Your local bowling center won't gouge you with holiday pricing, and bowling is one of the most economical ways to enjoy a group night out.

It's clean, safe and convenient

Although having an epically entertaining evening is always a New Year's goal, keeping everyone safe should be priority number one. Bowling centers are clean, well-lit and fun, but not overly raucous. If you're looking for a family-friendly way to enjoy the holiday, you can't beat ringing in the new year on the lanes.

It's a perfect setting to party

Most bowling centers offer delicious and inexpensive food and beverage options, making throwing a party as easy as it gets. Those looking to indulge their creative whims can throw a theme party, turning their local alley into a New Year's party zone with clever decorations and party favors. Some bowling centers even offer party planning help. Your only limit is your own creativity.

There's already a party and you're invited

Don't feel like planning a party? Then don't. Many, if not most, bowling centers have party packages available. You don't have to worry about the details -- just call your local bowling center, discuss event packages (including options and pricing), and relax. After you've booked your party, all you need to worry about is showing up!

Feel like booking your new New Year's party at a bowling center? Visit GoBowling.com today and get started.

Make throwing the greatest party of the year your first resolution.

]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2014 22:08:33 GMTe45ebb9a-0397-40c6-9ab1-f0cd31a55da7

With a new year almost here, it's time to get ready for holiday parties, gift swapping and resolutions -- lots of resolutions, for some of us.

And that's a good thing -- there's nothing wrong with resolving to improve yourself as the calendar turns over again. But we'd like to propose you consider a New Year's resolution that goes beyond the usual self-improvement milestones. We encourage you to do something that will require little in the way of will power, but a lot in the way of fun.

Resolve to go bowling more often.

Here are a few reasons why bowling should be one of your top resolutions in 2015.

Bowling helps you stay fit

There is no more classic New Year's promise than to get fit or lose weight. But you don't have to subject yourself to grueling six mile runs at the crack of dawn. Simple everyday activities such as bowling can provide significant exercise -- especially when the alternative is watching television or browsing the internet. Participation in a regular bowling league is a fun, easy way to get some extra exercise.

Bowling promotes friendship and general merriment

Bowling is the most social of sports, so it's a natural choice for those looking to make new friends or deepen existing bonds with current buddies. A weekend night out bowling, a bowling-themed party or even the creation of a recreational league team can provide enduring social benefits -- and countless hours of laughter between friends.

Bowling can build self-esteem

Sometimes picking up a new hobby or sport can work wonders for our self-image and sense of accomplishment. Bowling is perhaps the easiest sport to learn, and you can become a skilled bowler quite quickly. This makes it a great choice if you want to pick up some fresh skills in the new year.

Feel like making your first resolution today? Then head over to GoBowling.com to find the bowling center nearest you and make 2015 your best year yet.

]]>Thu, 18 Dec 2014 22:46:36 GMT7ec80b6f-766c-495c-b9f9-3a4c078a7a23
Like every sport, bowling has evolved considerably over the years. The days of checkered bowling shirts and flat tops are now just a faded memory.

Today your local bowling center is often one of the cooler, trendier spots at which to hang out. Everything from the food and beverage offerings to the audio-visual equipment has undergone nothing short of a radical transformation.

With that in mind, let's take a look at how bowling center style has evolved.

Entertainment, Bowling Style

Decades ago, bowling centers entertained you one way -- with bowling lanes. If you were lucky, you might have also had access to a pool table.

These days entertainment options abound. Some bowling centers offer the latest in arcade games. Others offer laser tag. Still, even more have sports bars and giant high-definition TVs to catch the latest game.

If you want to bowl but want a fresh experience, plenty of centers also offer cosmic bowl nights and other fun variations on the classic game.

A Fresh Image

If you think a bowling center has to be stodgy when it comes to style, think again. Many new bowling centers are cultivating a "retro cool" image that offers one-of-a-kind ambiance. Think leather sofas, low lighting, martinis and a full-service lounge atmosphere.

Some bowling centers with this look and feel make great destinations for a romantic evening and a great setting for a first date.

The Evolution of Bowling Center Cuisine

At the bowling centers of old, you could order just about any food item you wanted -- as long as you wanted a hamburger or hot dog.

Today even the most refined palate will probably find something to enjoy at your local bowling center. Many feature full cafes and restaurants that offer delicious, modern takes on American cuisine. And even bowling centers that only have a snack bar offer much more than you might think.

In short, today's bowling centers can compete with ballparks and stadiums when it comes to mouth-watering treats. Fish and chips, sushi, tapas -- you can find just about anything inside.

Feel like experiencing a bit of bowling's classic cool? Visit www.gobowling.com to find a center near you.

]]>Fri, 02 Jan 2015 19:59:02 GMT5f6bfb25-1ed1-4ff9-a050-39210044a37d
Compared to most of us, celebrities have things pretty easy -- but all men and women are equal in the face of a 7-10 split. Here are five stars who love to rack up strikes.

Bill Murray

Murray owned the screen in "Kingpin," a film some call the "Caddyshack" of bowling. Playing the role of the scheming Ernie "Big Ern" McCracken, Murray wowed many on set with his natural strike-throwing ability.

Legend has it Murray rolled his own turkey during the film's climactic showdown, drawing wild real-life applause from the crowd.

Nelly

The St. Louis rapper and actor is one of the biggest names in hip hop, having sold millions of records across the globe.

He's also passionate when it comes to bowling. While shooting the Adam Sandler film "The Longest Yard" in New Mexico, Nelly brought along two customized bowling balls, shoes and a wrist brace.

Nelly, a regular participant in celebrity bowling events, plays in recreational leagues back home in St. Louis, where he's said to flirt with a 200 average.

Chris Paul

Rare is the athlete who excels at two sports. Chris Paul is one of the few fitting that description.

Paul, a wizard-like point guard who stars for the L.A. Clippers, is one of the world's best basketball players.

His heart, however, belongs to bowling. Paul loves the sport so much he became a franchise owner in the Professional Bowling Association. He's also sponsored dozens of charity tournaments.

Vince Vaughn

When it comes to sports, the towering actor is probably best known for his exploits in "Dodgeball." In real life, however, Vaughn prefers the pins. He's been known to hold court at L.A.'s Lucky Strike Lanes -- ground zero for celebrity bowling.

Lady Gaga

We're not sure how much (or how well) she actually plays, but the famous pop songstress recently plopped down $23 million for a Malibu mansion with its own two-lane Brunswick bowling complex. For that amount of cash, we're hoping the previous owner threw in some bowling shoes.

Feeling inspired to become the star of your own bowling production? Then visit www.gobowling.com to find the bowling center nearest you.

]]>Thu, 08 Jan 2015 20:34:52 GMT09eb33e6-b42b-4900-8669-f024183cc65d
Even people who hate football usually love Super Bowl parties. The game has developed into something of an unofficial American holiday.

It's also incredibly popular, with more than 100 million viewers tuning in to the game every year. And when they do, they enjoy themselves. Super Bowl Sunday ranks second -- behind only Thanksgiving -- when it comes to one day food consumption in the United States.

Even if the game happens to be terrible in a particular year, the commercials (which can easily cost millions of dollars for a 30-second spot) are generally amazing.

All in all, it's a spectacular event with something for just about everyone. Nothing could be better, right?

Wrong.

Not if you're a bowling fan, anyway. GoBowling.com is offering you the chance to celebrate the upcoming game with a massive "Super Bowling Party."

The party, perfect for you and 20 of your closest buddies, would allow you to throw a major party at your local bowling center in honor of the upcoming Super Bowl XLIX.

Free bowling, food, drinks and festivities -- now that sounds like a party.

To enter, just go to the contest page at gobowling.com and fill out a short form. You just have to provide your name, e-mail address, phone number and age, and you'll be in the running for a super memorable party.

You can enter once every 24 hours, and no purchase is required. The winner will receive two games of bowling, equipment rental, and food and drinks for themselves and 20 friends

After you enter the contest, be sure to visit GoBowling.com to find the bowling center nearest you. Remember, the Super Bowl may be one of the world's great sporting spectacles, but bowling is the planet's undisputed number one participatory sport.

]]>Wed, 14 Jan 2015 20:36:46 GMT6f42e4db-3dc1-4529-8d6f-012f13621828
You can't tell the story of America without talking about bowling. The game is deeply intertwined with this country's sporting and social history.

With that in mind, let's talk about some places where bowling history truly comes alive.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Bowling isn't just a hobby in this city -- it's a way of life. That goes for the entire state of Wisconsin, which is reputed to have more bowling centers than any other state in the union.

Not only do Wisconsin natives enjoy great "bowling center density," they also have the chance to bowl on some of America's most historic lanes. Milwaukee features some of the oldest bowling centers in the country.

Some have been around for more than a century and look much the same as they did when they first opened. A few even still employ human pinsetters!

St. Louis, Missouri

They take their bowling very seriously in the Gateway City. Like Milwaukee, the city is home to a large number of bowling centers -- and some of the most rabid bowling fans around.

St. Louis was the original host of the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum, which relocated to Texas a few years ago. The area has also given the United States some of its greatest bowlers, including PBA star Pete Weber and his legendary father Dick.

The Webers, one of bowling's royal families, also operated their own bowling center in St. Louis county. Today, you can still catch Pete Weber thowing strikes for fun in bowling centers around St. Louis.

The White House, Washington D.C.

If you're looking for historic lanes, nothing compares to the place where Presidents pick up spares.

The White House has a single lane located in the basement under the North Portico. The lane, built in 1947, was originally a gift for President Truman.

He wasn't much of a bowler, but subsequent presidents got away from the stress of the job by throwing a few turkeys.

Arlington, Texas

Of course this list wouldn't be complete without mentioning Arlington, which is home to the International Bowling Campus. Things are always bigger in Texas, and bowling is certainly no exception. Nearly everything bowling resides in Texas, including the bowling International Training and Research Center, the Bowling Proprietor's Association of America, the United States Bowling Congress, and many more.

Did this history lesson make you crave some lane time of your own? Then visit www.GoBowling.com to find the center nearest you -- and make your own bowling history.

]]>Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:51:23 GMT567f1931-ba40-4a44-bc64-a4cfebcf1a90
A personal bowling ball isn't mere sports equipment -- for a lot of us, it's an extension of our personality. And the way it looks is often nearly as important as the way it rolls.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some of history's most unique and eye-catching bowling balls.

Mikasa Acrylic

How much would you pay for a beautiful, high-end bowling ball? $300? Perhaps $500? Or even $1,000?

If you want to own a vintage 1970s-era Mikasa acrylic, you might have to dig much deeper. These stunning Japanese retro balls are listed as high as $5,000 on internet bidding sites. Mikasa manfactured their acrylic bowling balls in shades of pale green, lavender, orange and other striking, translucent colors.

The end result? Perhaps the only bowling balls in the world that can truly be called elegant.

Brunswick Gold Crown

While we're on the subject of classic bowling balls, let's recognize another legendary entry in the category. This one is the polar opposite of the refined, minimalist chic-look favored by Mikasa.

The 1960s-era Brunswick Gold Crown is about as flashy as bowling gets.

Brunswick made a number of colorful balls in this particular series, but the Gold Crown was a limited-run showpiece. Built with real gold flakes, the ball looks just like it sounds -- a shiny, sparkly nugget of gold.

If Elvis Presley ever bowled when he was in Las Vegas, this definitely would have been the ball for him.

Lignum Vitae Bowling Balls

Are you a fan of old-school bowling? Do you feel like you could use a bit more of a challenge on the lanes?

Then look no further.

A century or two ago, hi-tech particle balls weren't around to cover a bowler's mistakes. Bowlers had to make do with the materials at hand. A dense hardwood called lignum vitae was the bowling ball building block of the 17th-19th centuries.

While they certainly weren't unique then, they are a serious collector's item today. Unless you're ready for some highly unpredictable gameplay, however, this probably isn't the choice for you.

Yet as a tangible piece of the history of bowling, these wooden classics make great conversation pieces.

Bill Murray's Rose Ball in Kingpin

If you want to get your hands on this iconic bowling ball, we can't help you there. But we can all appreciate Ernie McCracken's elegant, clear bowling ball with the encased rose.

Your Own Bowling Ball

Of course all of these memorable and unique balls are well and good, but nothing beats your very own, especially if you get something custom. Maybe you have a favorite sport team or athlete? What better way to show your support than on your bowling ball! Get creative -- the sky's the limit.

Feel like grabbing your own ball and throwing some thunderous strikes? Visit www.GoBowling.com to find the lane nearest you.

]]>Wed, 28 Jan 2015 22:38:42 GMT47207df5-7499-44b8-8e85-0d06773f78ee
As far as holidays are concerned, President's Day doesn't offer the patriotic power of Independence Day, the solemn appreciation of Memorial Day, or even the fun and whimsy of Groundhog Day.

Yet it might become your new favorite holiday anyway -- if you enter GoBowling.com's "Win some Washingtons" sweepstakes.

You don't have to be a U.S. history whiz to win this contest. It only takes a minute to enter, and the winner will be "presidentially" rewarded.

To enter the contest, just visit www.GoBowling.com and fill out a short registration form asking for your name, e-mail address, phone number and birthday. The sweepstakes is open to any U.S. resident 18 years or older. You can also choose to enter by visiting GoBowling.com's Facebook page.

You can enter a maximum of once every 24 hours, and no purchase is required to win. One lucky winner will receive a grand prize of $500, no strings attached. You can spend the money on all-American items such as apple pie, baseball or -- even better -- a bowling party for you and a few of your best friends.

The contest ends Feb. 27, so don't wait too long to enter. After all, as President Washington proved time and again, fortune favors the bold -- so get online and prepare to win big.

President's Day will be much more fun if you spend it with your good friend George Washington -- and 499 of his friends.

]]>Thu, 05 Feb 2015 21:21:06 GMT8edf49d1-4c91-49ff-8894-b2f1c3a19732
With President's Day right around the corner, let's take a look at some of our most passionate and skilled "Bowlers-in-Chief."

Harry S. Truman

President Harry S. Truman was known for his folksy wit and tough, take charge persona. What he wasn't noted for was his athletic prowess or bowling skill.

Nevertheless, Truman is forever linked to bowling history thanks to the 1947 installation of the first ever White House bowling lanes. The lanes were a birthday gift from Truman's friends and supporters.

Though Truman was more of a poker player, he appreciated the gift and organized a White House Bowling League for staff members.

Richard M. Nixon

Truman's successor, President Dwight Eisenhower, had the White House Bowling lanes converted into a mimeograph room, a state of affairs that continued until the end of his presidency.

But White House bowling got a major boost when President Richard Nixon was elected a few years later. Nixon, a skilled and dedicated bowler, arranged for the White House bowling lanes to be expanded, installing a new playing area under the North Portico.

Nixon also allowed himself to be photographed while bowling. An iconic shot of the President rolling a ball in the White House around 1970 was featured in the classic bowling film "The Big Lebowski."

George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama

Our last two Presidents may not be great bowlers (President Obama once bowled a 37 on a campaign stop), but both believed strongly in the importance of bowling. President Bush had the White House bowling lanes renovated during his second term, and Obama has proposed further enhancements. Obama is also reputed to have improved his game significantly over his presidency.

Does all this talk of Presidential Bowling have you inspired to throw some strikes of your own? Then head to www.GoBowling.com to find the bowling center nearest you.

With Boston and other American cities facing record winter snowfall this year, that's a forecast that could freeze the heart of even the sunniest optimist.

Yet there's a great way to take the edge off the winter chill -- a quick trip to your local bowling lanes.

Let's examine a few reasons why bowling is the perfect antidote to even the most persistent winter funk.

It's always toasty inside

Many sports require you to battle the elements while battling the opposition. Not bowling. You can enjoy every game in perfect, climate-controlled comfort. When there is a foot of snow on the ground, nothing hits the spot like a warm seat, a solid strike and a cup of celebratory hot cocoa.

Bowling makes you healthier

Sometimes it's tough to get enough exercise during bitterly cold winter months. After all, who wants to jog or walk during a snowstorm? No matter what the weather, bowling allows you the opportunity to get off the sofa and get a bit of a workout.

Bowling makes you happier

Medical studies have shown that even mild exercise has tangible mood-enhancing benefits. So if bleak gray skies have got you down, a quick trip to your local bowling center might be the perfect antidote. Bowling also provides a great reason to catch up with friends and family -- it's the ultimate social sport.

Feel like breaking out of your winter slump? There's no better way than to execute a few expertly thrown strikes. Visit www.gobowling.com to find the lane nearest you -- and banish the winter blues for good.

]]>Fri, 20 Feb 2015 21:19:06 GMTe0d891ed-de86-448d-9377-c44b34979770
After a few wintry months of winter, there's nothing more exciting than the prospect of spring right around the corner.

Well, there might be one thing that's more exciting -- the possibility of welcoming the spring season with a great new prize from GoBowling.com.

As part of its "300 Prizes Giveaway" contest, GoBowling.com is giving away 300 prizes in 31 days in the month of March. Among the great prizes you can win include Reebok duffle bags, bowling ball tote bags, t-shirts, caps, die cast collectible cars and $50 Visa gift cards.

Sounds like a great list of prizes, right? Here's something else you'll like -- entering the contest is free and couldn't be easier.

All you have to do is visit www.GoBowling.com between March 2 and March 31 and fill out a short online entry form. Just provide some basic information such as your name, phone number, e-mail address and age and you'll be off to the races.

No fee is required to enter. Here's another great feature -- you don't have to enter just once. In order to maximize your odds at taking home one of 300 great daily prizes, you can enter once every 24 hours.

In addition to the GoBowling.com website, you can also enter by visiting GoBowling.com's Facebook page and filling out an entry form.

Be sure and enter as many times as possible. With a little luck, you'll be celebrating the impending return of spring as a contest winner.

Does all this talk of winning prizes have you itching to hit the lanes? Then visit GoBowling.com to find the bowling center nearest you.

But before you do, take a minute to enter the 300 Prizes Giveaway. It costs nothing to enter, but you could easily be one of 300 lucky winners rewarded with a great prize from your friends at GoBowling.com.

]]>Wed, 11 Mar 2015 22:12:43 GMT31854560-4347-401d-9897-84fa4f28aef2
If you're a hard-studying student, few things are more exciting than spring break.

But what are you going to do with all of that newfound freedom?

Here's an idea that never fails -- bowling. It's a classic sport with a lot to offer younger players.

Let's discuss some reasons why you should pay your local bowling center a visit during your spring vacation.

Bowling helps keep you fit

Gym class or intramural sports might not require absolute effort and exertion, but any physical activity, no matter how mild, helps keep you in better physical shape. That's why bowling makes a great gym class substitute over spring break. It's fun, easy to play and open to anyone. In fact, bowling is so much fun, you'll probably want to start your own bowling club once you're back in school.

Bowling helps keep you social

One of the greatest things about bowling is the social aspect. There are few group activities that promote friendship and laughter the way bowling does. By planning a trip to your local bowling center over spring break, you can stay in touch with old friends -- and probably develop a few new friends along the way.

Bowling helps your bottom line

We understand finances can be tight -- students don't always have a lot of extra money. That's why bowling is such a great fit for younger people. There are no startup costs -- you can rent all of the equipment you'll need. Bowling centers are also very economical when it comes to food, drinks and gameplay. If you're looking for a fun, inexpensive way to enjoy your spring break with friends, you can't beat bowling.

Bowling is the most popular participatory sport in the world. It's easy to learn, promotes health and fitness and is a great way to make new friends.

Visit www.GoBowling.com today to find the lane nearest you. Give bowling a chance, and you'll have one of the best spring break experiences possible.

]]>Fri, 13 Mar 2015 18:14:36 GMTc39498c1-4d6f-4596-a7f4-2be0c0d88b01
One of the best things about bowling is the simplicity of the sport. The rules are easy to grasp, so almost anyone can just pick up a ball and have fun.

If you'd like to become more than a casual player and develop an all-around game, however, it helps to develop your technique.

Let's take a look at some of the most common styles and techniques you'll find on the lanes. Next time you're out bowling with your buddies, you can analyze their styles.

The Power Game

A golfer who cranks out 300 yard drives is often called "long off the tee." A bowler who throws with similar power is called a "cranker."

A skilled cranker employs significant wrist action in order to put some serious power and spin on the ball. When executed properly, this combination of spin and ball speed leads to some thunderous, pin shaking strikes.

While the added power might help a cranker pick up a strike even on a poorly thrown ball, this technique sometimes leaves players vulnerable to splits.

Lucky Strokes

Is your technique buttery smooth and technically sound? Do you have a lower backswing and fewer revolutions? Then you might be a "stroker." Strokers rely more on accuracy than power, using expert ball placement and timing to rack up strikes.

While your typical stroker might not wow the crowd with a thunderbolt strike, bowling is more about consistency and accuracy than heavy pin punishing. That's why some of the world's most skilled bowlers are pure strokers.

The Best of Both Worlds?

What if you desire the power of a cranker and the accuracy of a stroker? Then you're a budding "tweener" or "power stroker."

These techniques meld a good fundamental delivery with a higher backswing. Achieving the proper balance may be tough, however. Bowlers who don't fit naturally into the cranker or stroker category are also often called tweeners or power strokers.

Spinning Axis

If you're ready for a slightly less conventional technique, then consider becoming a "spinner." This technique allows the ball to travel straight down the lane before exploding into the rack with a spinning motion.

Spinners often thrive on oily lanes. Be forewarned, however -- using this technique can put some strain on your wrist and arm, as the spinning motion can tax muscles and ligaments.

Feel like trying out a new technique today? Then visit www.GoBowling.com to find the lane nearest you.

]]>Thu, 19 Mar 2015 21:33:12 GMTde299c49-bc75-450e-af00-a3aa91f8b383
Birthdays only come around once per year, so it's important to make sure your celebrations are memorable.

That means you need to go beyond ordinary fun and games and reach for something that will really wow everyone.

Luckily, we have just the thing -- a birthday bowling party.

Let's check out a few reasons why bowling is a huge hit with partygoers.

Bowling is a festive sport

If you're looking for a athletic endeavor that promotes laughter and good times, you can't beat bowling. It's tailor made for social settings and it works great as a team sport. Best of all, you don't have to be an expert -- even the most unskilled beginner can have a great time bowling.

Bowling centers make great party locations

If you host a birthday party at home, you have to deal with time-consuming preparations and the irritation of post-party clean up. Bowling centers take all the stress and worry of hosting right out of your hands. Many centers can assist you with party planning, and most sell a variety of delicious food and beverages.

Bowling is a great value

If you're looking for a cost-effective yet still exciting party option, bowling should be right up your alley. Unlike most other sports, all the necessary equipment is provided by the bowling center. Don't forget -- the more money you save on the party, the more you'll have to buy an unforgettable gift.

Speaking of gifts…

Why not visit the bowling center Pro Shop to pick out a great gift to go with the great party? If your bowling center has an on-site store, you may be able to pick up some great bowling accessories or even a custom ball.

Bowling is active

While there's nothing wrong with video games or movies, they don't provide the physical activity that bowling does. That extra exertion will come in mighty handy when you're calculating those birthday cake calories.

The next time you've got a birthday party to plan, visit www.GoBowling.com to find the lane nearest you -- and find out why bowling makes the perfect party activity.

]]>Thu, 26 Mar 2015 19:39:35 GMT2d2d7d09-41de-4980-ad0b-a40d4591d802
Bowling parties have no equal when it comes to good times and friendly competition. Yet there's a difference between throwing a good party and making your party truly memorable.

Much like throwing a perfect strike, it all comes down to execution.

Here are some clever-yet-easy bowling treat recipes that will have your partygoers furiously uploading photos to their social media accounts.

Bowling pin cakes

Here's a simple recipe for a bowling-themed cake that will be the hit of any party. The materials you'll need are very basic: two boxes of cake mix (any flavor), two containers of vanilla frosting and a bag of red licorice.

After making your batter, pour the contents on a large, greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for around half an hour, using a toothpick to test when the cake is baked through.

Once the cake is ready, remove the sheet and cut the cake into thirds. Here's the important part -- now you need to use the knife to cut each third into a bowling pin shape. It sounds tricky, but you can "cheat" by using a paper bowling pin cutout.

Once the pins have taken shape, apply the vanilla frosting and place three red licorice pieces at the top of the pin in stripe formation. Voila! You've got a replica bowling pin cake.

Bowling cake pops

If you're looking for something bite-sized, bowling cake pin pops are an excellent choice. All you have to do is bake a cake (any flavor), allow it to cool, then break it down in a mixing bowl with your hands.

Now comes the fun part -- choosing icing. For bowling pops, dark chocolate (bowling ball) or vanilla (bowling pins) work well. Mix the icing into the broken-down cake by hand. Then use a cookie scooper to fashion the cake into perfect ball shapes, or use your hands to create bowling pin shapes. Place them on a cookie sheet and slide them into the freezer for a few minutes to firm.

Now insert sticks into the cake balls. Then dip the bowling ball pops into melted chocolate and the pin pops into melted white chocolate (almond bark also works well). Set them aside while the shell hardens.

Once this is accomplished you can decorate your mouth-watering bowling pops with food coloring to create pinstripes, ball holes and anything else you can imagine.

If these recipes strike your fancy, visit GoBowling.com to plan your party at the bowling center nearest you.

]]>Tue, 07 Apr 2015 22:18:27 GMTd21f0f02-352e-48b3-ad09-52cff7964557
There is one thing everyone should know about Pinman.

He absolutely loves to pull pranks -- almost as much as he loves to bowl.

Because Pinman is such a lovable prankster, April Fools' Day has always been his favorite holiday. To honor the special day of pranksters worldwide, Pinman has decided to have a little fun at our expense -- literally.

He's gone into hiding, and anyone who can find him is eligible to win a great group of prizes from GoBowling.com.

Pinman will be hiding in a different spot on the GoBowling.com website every day during the month of April. All you have to do is find our fun-loving mascot, and you'll earn an opportunity to win our contest.

After you locate Pinman, just visit here to report his location and get a chance at a cash prize. Be forewarned, however: Pinman is a wily character who knows every nook and cranny of the website.

Once you've located him and clicked the above link, just provide your name, your e-mail, your phone number and Pinman's correct location.

Four lucky winners will earn $250 gift cards from GoBowling.com for their successful detective work. You must be 18 to win, you may only enter once per day and no purchase is necessary to win the prize.

Does the hunt for Pinman have you feeling like visiting your local lanes? There's a simple way to do so -- visit www.GoBowling.com's fast and easy find a lane option.

But before you do, go find Pinman! With a little luck and some keen observational skills, you'll be $250 wealthier -- money that Pinman would surely suggest you spend at the lanes!

]]>Mon, 13 Apr 2015 20:51:29 GMT3cf4ba8f-43e0-4a19-8ef3-6c834c00db89
Polka tunes might not be the most listened to music on your play list, but that doesn’t stop it from being the most fun.

GoBowling.com is helping the celebrated Chardon Polka Band achieve their dream of bringing the power of polka to the masses. The band is starring in a new reality series on the REELZCHANNEL network this spring. By visiting GoBowling.com's home page, visitors can click on a link that takes them to a 30-second preview video of the new show.

If you're not a huge fan of the classic polka sound, don't worry. This is polka with a modern twist. The Polka Kings specialize in making polka versions of today's pop hits (think Justin Bieber set to an accordion).

Watching the video also comes with a great bonus -- a game of bowling on the house, courtesy of GoBowling.com. By clicking on the link, visitors earn a coupon for a free game of bowling.

The Polka Kings are known for two things: their deep love of polka music and their penchant for fun-loving adventures. The new show traces the group's efforts to spread the joy of polka to a wider audience. And those efforts take the group to some very unusual places. Whether playing at nursing homes, parties, or festivals, the Polka Kings are ready and willing to get the crowd dancing.

Polka and bowling -- it's a classic combination that can't be beat.

Feel like dancing to the glorious sound of a few well-placed strikes? Then visit GoBowling.com's Find a Center page to locate a lane near you.

But before you do, take less than a minute to view our Polka Kings video.

After all, the only thing that beats bowling is bowling free!

]]>Fri, 17 Apr 2015 18:34:22 GMTfd71a979-4bab-41e7-91ad-1713a0033679
No more alarm clocks. No more gym classes. No more homework.

Sounds like a few things worth celebrating, right?

So once the final school bell rings and class is dismissed for the summer, it's time to wrap up another successful school year by having an unforgettable party with your friends.

And there's no better place to have that party than your local bowling center.

Let's check out a few reasons why bowling centers are some of the best places for a celebration.

Bowling is a blast

After enduring all those long nights of homework and unexpected pop quizzes, nothing helps blow off steam like a round of bowling and socializing with friends. After all, bowling is the world's number one participatory sport for a reason -- it's easy to play and always a great time.

Bowling is a great way to stay in touch

While summer vacation is certainly fantastic, not seeing your friends every day makes the end of every school year a little bittersweet. So why not enjoy everybody's company with an end of the year party? Sure, you can always stay in touch on the phone and through social media, but the digital realm can't replace the visceral thrill of blasting a few strikes with friends.

Bowling is inexpensive

Students are hardly known for having loads of disposable income. That's why your local bowling center makes a great party spot. For the price of shoe rental and a few games, you can buy yourself hours of cost-effective entertainment.

Does a bowling-themed end of the school year party sound like fun? Then check out www.GoBowling.com today to find the bowling center nearest you.

]]>Tue, 28 Apr 2015 21:12:53 GMT24ab9251-8ee4-4adb-afcb-c3dcb626271f
There's no way we can fully express our gratitude to the military men and women who bravely defend our freedom.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Memorial Day is one such thank you. On the last Monday of every May, we take a day to honor all the heroes who have fallen while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The holiday, which was established in the wake of the American Civil War, is an expression of thanks to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

In honor of our soldiers, GoBowling.com is running a "Bowl Free for Freedom" promotion. During the entire month of May, GoBowling.com will donate 25 cents to veterans' causes for every new "like" on our Facebook page. By doing something as simple as pressing a button, you can do a small part to improve the lives of military heroes. Proceeds will go through BVL (The Bowlers to Veterans Link), a non-profit organization founded in 1942 to provide recreational and therapeutic programs to help boost morale for active duty units.

That's not all, however. When you visit GoBowling.com's Facebook page, you'll also find a voucher for a free game of bowling. The coupon can be redeemed at participating bowling centers on Memorial Day weekend.

This Memorial Day weekend, we encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect on all of those who died to protect our liberty and freedom. As part of that reflection, please visit our Facebook page to help raise money for veterans' support. Be sure and spread the word to your friends and family, as every click raises more money for charity.

It's a small way to repay the noble sacrifices of our men and women in uniform.

After you visit our Facebook page, be sure and visit GoBowling.com's Find a Center option to locate the bowling center nearest to you.

]]>Thu, 07 May 2015 19:51:28 GMT065c0315-aba4-425c-af52-66dbff233bab
When it comes to having a great time with friends and family, there are few better places to go than your local bowling center.

Yet what if you could replicate the fun of bowling in your own backyard?

Impossible, you might say?

Not at all. In fact, you can build it over the course of a few hours in one afternoon -- although snack bar assembly is not included!

Let's review a few simple steps that could provide hours of bowling fun anytime you're ready.

How to build a backyard bowling lane

The first step is locating an ideal patch of ground on which to build your lane. You'll want to use an area that is level and as free of holes or bumps as possible. Bowling lanes are flat, and the goal is to mimic the dimensions and feel of a lane as closely as possible.

Once you've found suitable ground, you should ensure you have enough space by measuring a distance of roughly 60 feet -- the length of a regulation bowling lane.

Now that your spot is picked out, it's time to gather materials. You can use regular pins and bowling balls, but building the lane will require a trip to the hardware store.

Building a lane is much like building a deck. Many of the same materials can be used, including lumber and deck screws. Once you've got enough wood, you'll need to lay it out according to standard dimensions.

After you have the deck and baseboard constructed, you'll need to attach a surface. Hardwood laminate flooring works well, as it closely replicates the action and feel of a regular bowling lane. You'll need to secure the laminate with a strong adhesive product to keep it in place.

Once the surface is ready, you can add plywood kickback walls or gutters for added realism.

Voila! You've just created your own backyard bowling lane. Now you can throw a few strikes in the comfort of your own home.

If you'd like to do some "traditional" bowling before you build your own lane, please visit GoBowling.com to find the bowling center nearest you.

]]>Thu, 14 May 2015 18:41:00 GMT8d40a1a7-5633-4396-9486-502937d3e8ac
This time of year, students are gearing up to enjoy the first long, lazy days of summer vacation.

You don't want your time off to be too lazy, however. And you don't want to go too long without hanging out with friends.

That's why a summer bowling party is such a great idea. Let's take a look at the elements that turn a good party into something you'll be laughing about all summer.

Preparing snacks and treats

You can't have a bowling-themed party without snacks. Many bakeries and specialty food shops will create custom bowling treats on request. If you'd like to save a little money (or want more of a challenge) you can whip up your own bowling-themed treats in the comfort of your kitchen.

Some easy and eye-catching ideas include:

Rice Krispies Treats shaped into a bowling pin with a red licorice stripe

See-through plastic pins filled with colorful candies

Bowling pin or bowling ball-shaped cookies

Bowling ball cake pops

Bowling ball take home goody bags

White chocolate-dipped bowling pin pretzel sticks

Once you've got the snacks under control, it's time to move onto the next phase -- decorations.

Creating the perfect bowling party setting

It's sometimes possible to find bowling-themed decorations at supply stores, but if you aren't able to locate what you need, it's easy enough to complete the task at home. Along with conventional party decor (think streamers, plates, napkins) you can spice your gathering up with a dose of do-it-yourself creativity. Some good ideas include:

Hand crafted and personalized bowling invitations

A bowling pin or bowling ball pinata

Custom bowling t-shirts

Bowling trophies

Bowling ball-shaped beverage cups

Once you've got the perfect setting and some delicious treats, you're on the way to hosting an unforgettable summer bowling party.

Before you start with your summer party preparations, take some time to visit GoBowling.com to find the center nearest you. By practicing now, your game will be in peak form when summer rolls around.

]]>Fri, 22 May 2015 22:58:03 GMT76dfeeb0-a6de-41ad-a5ed-bd9890f4e63f
Now that the winter chill is finally at bay, it's time to get ready for some pure, unadulterated summer fun -- and get fit in the process.

Here are a few reasons why bowling should by your summer exercise of choice.

Bowling burns calories

If you're looking for an activity that burns calories but isn't too high intensity, you can't beat bowling. It's vigorous enough to help you get in shape, but it doesn't require an extreme amount of exertion. That means it's a great option for almost everyone, no matter your age or fitness level.

Bowling takes you out of the heat

In most places, summer can get pretty hot. Yet the inside of your local bowling center is always cool and inviting. So why exercise in the sweltering heat? Burn those calories in comfort by spending a few warm summer afternoons on the lanes.

Bowling is a great way to spend time with friends

Exercise is great for you -- but working out alone is never quite as much fun. That's why bowling is such a great fit. You can enjoy a great day out with your friends or family and get the benefit of some moderate exercise. What's not to love about that?

Bowling makes you happy

Studies have shown that moderate exercise isn't just good for your health -- it also can boost your mood. So why not get the best of both worlds by having some summertime fun at your local lanes?

If you're ready to have the summer of your life and get fit while you're at it, visit GoBowling.com to find a bowling center nearest you.

]]>Wed, 27 May 2015 21:14:00 GMT710bb656-33e9-4320-9628-74e2cdcdee13
There are a lot of great traditions associated with summer -- long, lazy days at the beach, picnics in the park, fireworks and barbeque just to name a few. Yet there's always room for another addition to your roster of summertime entertainment.

And when you're ready to have some serious fun, there's no better choice than bowling.

Let's talk about a few of the reasons why bowling should rank first on your list of exciting new summer traditions.

It's a great family bonding experience

No matter your age or ability level, you can still have a great time on the lanes. That's one of the reasons why bowling is such a family-friendly sport. Parents, children and grandparents can all enjoy each others' company while engaging in some friendly competition. Best of all, while bowling is good exercise, it's not too strenuous. That means almost anyone in the family can join the fun.

It's a great party location

Summer is a great time for parties. So why not host your next get together at your local bowling center? No matter how hot it is outside, you will always be cool as a cucumber inside the lanes. Throw in all the great food and beverage options at the snack bar, and you've got a prescription to permanently cure the summertime blues.

It keeps you happy and healthy

Summer is a great time to exercise and keep in shape. It's also a fantastic time to enjoy the company of your friends. So why not get the best of both worlds by enjoying some exercise at the bowling center? We guarantee you this much -- two hours of bowling with buddies is a much more exciting way to burn calories than a long solo workout on the treadmill.

Are you ready to make bowling your new summer tradition? Great! Please visit GoBowling.com to find the lane nearest you.

Your new summer tradition is waiting.

]]>Tue, 09 Jun 2015 21:02:37 GMT511ebb96-c697-4580-b68e-606d12d5676e
Nothing says summer like a relaxing beach vacation. Just imagine the sand between your toes, the gentle roar of the ocean and all that glorious sunshine. Plus the lounge chairs, the cold drinks and the delicious beach treats.

Sounds great, right? There's only one catch: Who's paying for the trip?

That's easy -- we are!

At GoBowling.com we're known for our fantastic, free to enter contests. This time, we've come up with one of our best prizes yet -- a ticket to summertime fun and relaxation on a grand scale.

Our new "Bowl Your Way to the Beach!" contest will reward one lucky winner with $1,000 to travel to the beach of her dreams.

Entering the contest couldn't be easier. Just visit GoBowling.com and fill out a short entry form. All you need to do is provide your name, phone number, e-mail address, birth date and zip code. It only takes about 30 seconds and you don't have to buy anything to enter.

You must, however, be at least 18 years of age or older and submit your entry between now and June 30. You may enter more than once, but only a single entry per 24 hours is permitted.

Does the idea of bowling your way to the beach have you excited? Great! Before you start packing however, head over to GoBowling.com and fill out your contest entry. After that small task is finished, check out our convenient "Find-a-Center" feature to locate the bowling lane nearest you.

With a little luck, you'll have a few weeks to sharpen up your game before taking your talents to the beach!

One of the best things about bowling style is that it's constantly evolving. Today's fashions would be considered quite radical to the bowlers of 50 years ago.

With that in mind, let's examine some of the more interesting bowling fashion trends over the years.

The good old days

If you look at photographs of bowlers from a century ago, one thing is immediately clear -- they dressed up for the occasion. Women often wore special dresses when bowling, while men often opted for pants and a tie -- sometimes even a bow tie.

While this might seem unusual, dressing rather formally (hats, jackets, etc.) at sporting events was a common practice as recently as the 1960s and 1970s.

The birth of the classic look

Early bowling shirts had a uniform look: a large, boxy cut with plenty of buttons down the middle. These shirts usually had one large pocket in front, with the name of the player written above the pocket. Aloha shirts without the loud patterns, basically.

It was also not uncommon for these shirts to have large prints or designs on the back. Sometimes these prints featured the name of a recreational league sponsor, or the name of the specific bowling team to which the player belonged. Today this retro look has come back into fashion, as modern versions of the classic bowling shirt are sold in many places online.

Goodbye to all those buttons

As we entered the 1970s and 1980s, the classic bowling shirt adapted with the times. Just as many professional sports teams started using polyester uniforms, bowling apparel became more streamlined with the introduction of more modern fabrics.

Polo-style shirts became popular with professional bowlers and many league bowlers. The tighter fit made the actual motion of bowling a ball easier to accomplish. Today this "business casual" look is still popular on the pro circuit.

From collared to casual

These days bowling fashion has gone ultra casual. Instead of a boxy button down or a tight-fitting polo, many modern bowlers opt for a nice-looking t-shirt. Just like the retro shirts of yore, these t-shirts can be customized to feature the name of a rec league team or a sponsor.

Are you ready to hit the lanes and make your own fashion statement? Then visit www.GoBowling.com to find the lane nearest you.

]]>Fri, 19 Jun 2015 21:39:11 GMT26abd4e8-620a-4e89-896f-0bdf24eb6d94
While many celebrities have lives we can only dream about (or read about in the magazines), there's one thing that unites the "A-List" and the rest of us -- a love of the great sport of bowling.

Bowling is the number one participatory sport in the world for many reasons: It's fun, inexpensive, easy to play and offers a great opportunity to bond with friends and family.

That's a combination that even some of the world's biggest stars can't resist.

With that in mind, let's take a look at a few celebrities who are known for their love of the lanes.

Chris Paul

By day Chris Paul is the superstar point guard for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. By night he's one of the biggest celebrity bowlers around. Paul not only regularly bowls in the 200s, he also stages one of the largest celebrity bowling tournaments in the U.S. every year.

Nelly

The hip hop legend may be best known for his hit song "Country Grammar," but he's not juts a rapper -- he's also a more than respectable bowler. Nelly is known for posting high scores in celebrity bowling tournaments, sometimes using his own custom "Gateway Arch" bowling ball.

Bill Murray

Everyone knows about Murray's legendary contributions to "Caddyshack," yet this famous comedian's performance in the bowling-themed cult comedy classic "Kingpin" is just as enduring. Even better, when filming his scenes, Murray was known to throw his own strikes.

Vince Vaughn

This star of HBO's "True Detective" may have gotten his big movie break in a film about swing dancing, but his moves are just as smooth on the lanes. Vaughn is known as one of Hollywood's most active bowlers, making public appearances at Hollywood's best bowling establishments.

Feel like joining these bowling-loving celebrities on the lanes? Then visit www.GoBowling.com to locate the bowling center nearest you.

]]>Fri, 26 Jun 2015 16:55:14 GMT53a0be1f-5020-4c06-ac55-b4f4e3bfdd1d
Every sport has its iconic films. Baseball has "The Natural," football has "The Longest Yard," and golf has the legendary cult classic "Caddyshack."

So what about bowling? Befitting its popularity as the number one participatory sport on the planet, bowling has several classic celluloid representations.

Let's take a look at a few of the most memorable.

Kingpin

This 1996 screwball farce stars Woody Harrelson as Roy Munson, a former schoolboy bowling prodigy fallen on hard times. After discovering an amazing -- yet reluctant -- Amish bowler named Ishmael (played by Randy Quaid), Munson and his new pupil hit the road in search of bowling glory.

The movie ends with a showdown between Munson and his rival "Big" Ernie McCracken, played by Bill Murray in an unforgettable performance. During filming, Murray wowed the crowd by throwing some impressive strikes with no help from a stand in.

The Big Lebowski

The 1990s were a golden era of sorts for bowling movies, as "Kingpin" was followed two years later by "The Big Lebowski." This comedy from directors Ethan and Joel Coen isn't just the funniest bowling movie of all time -- it's regarded as one of the greatest comedies of its era. Jeff Bridges' indelible performance as Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski is rightly celebrated for its hilarity. John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, turning in equally hilarious performances, round out Lebowski's bowling team.

The film has had such enduring popularity that "Lebowski Fests" are still staged annually at bowling centers around the country.

A League of Ordinary Gentleman

If you're a hardcore bowling fan looking for fewer jokes and more great bowling sequences, here's the film for you. This documentary, released in 2006, features top PBA talent such as Pete Weber and Walter Ray Williams. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of four high-profile bowlers as they work to win tournaments -- and increase the popularity of the sport.

Does all the talk of filmed bowling have you itching for the real thing? Then visit www.GoBowling.com to find the land nearest you.

]]>Thu, 02 Jul 2015 21:09:47 GMT842618c4-e9dd-4bc4-b064-7e19feec5ca2
Summer has a lot of things going for it. It's the season of barbecues, beaches and long, lazy weekends with friends and family.

There's just one drawback to all of this summertime fun and frivolity: Sometimes the weather just doesn't cooperate, and it gets hot, sticky and uncomfortably miserable outside.

Fortunately, we have the antidote to those blast furnace summer days --- a trip to a cool, climate-controlled bowling center. On a hot summer day, nothing beats the feeling of throwing strikes in comfort.

GoBowling.com wants to help make your summer both memorable and comfortable. Our new "Stay Cool" contest will provide one lucky winner with $500 in cool summer cash, along with a voucher for a free game of bowling.

Entering the contest is a breeze. Just visit our website's contest promotion page and fill out a registration form. The process couldn't be simpler: You just need to provide your name, e-mail, zip code and birth date. You must be at least 18 years of age to win, and you may only submit one entry every 24 hours. No purchase is required to win.

Sounds like a great deal, right? You need to act quickly, however, as the contest ends July 31.

Once you've entered the contest, why not pay a visit to your local lanes for some summertime bowling fun? Just visit GoBowling.com's "Find a Center" page for easy directions to the local bowling center nearest you.

It may be 98 degrees in the shade outside, but your local bowling center is always cool and comfortable.

]]>Mon, 20 Jul 2015 22:56:11 GMT5af32015-3ffb-46aa-be7c-8b32e6c584ee

Could bowling become an official Olympic sport?

That possibility just became far more likely, as the sport recently cleared the first necessary hurdle for inclusion. The organizers of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, recently released a shortlist of new sports under consideration for the competition. Bowling made the cut, along with baseball, softball, karate, climbing, roller sports, squash, surfing and wushu -- a Chinese martial art.

Organizers of the Olympics will narrow down this list in September, when they will propose the addition of one or more of these sports to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). A final decision by the IOC won't be delivered until 2016.

At first glance, bowling would appear to have a strong case for inclusion. It's popular on a global scale, as its position as the world's number one participatory sport attests. Bowling also translates very well to television, which is a strong bonus for organizers, as the revenue generated through TV advertising during the Olympics is enormous. World Bowling officials have also been working to improve the sport's appeal to Olympic organizers, going so far as to experiment with the classic scoring system in an effort to make it less confusing to newcomers.

Competition figures to be tough, however. Baseball and softball have Olympic lineage -- both sports were dropped from the games on the eve of the 2012 Olympics in London. That decision was highly controversial, so baseball and softball will have legions of vocal backers supporting their reinstatement.

Adding new sports to the Olympic roster is a fairly common practice, as organizers like to draw in new fans. Golf and rugby have already been added to the list of Olympic sports for 2016 and 2020, for example.

The organizers for the Tokyo Games haven't tipped their hand as to which way they're leaning, saying only that they're seeking sports that reinforce Olympic values and possess youth appeal.

It's impossible to predict the outcome, but that description sounds just like bowling to us!

Feel like celebrating the potential birth of Olympic bowling? Then visit GoBowling.com to find the lane nearest you.